


Ironic

by kamja (saule)



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Human, Artist Castiel, Ben is not Dean's son, Everybody Lives, Family, Fluff, Fluff and Smut, Happy, Human Castiel, Idiots in Love, Lisa is not a bitch, M/M, Mistaken Identity, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, angst takes a holiday, the fluffiest fluff to ever fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-02-14
Updated: 2014-09-12
Packaged: 2018-01-12 09:57:44
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 18
Words: 53,633
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1184877
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/saule/pseuds/kamja
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>AU, AH. Dean Winchester just made a gift for Sam and his wife. Castiel Novak is an artist who was asked to add some final touches. So they are going to work together on that project. That was the general idea. Besides there's a shitload of family members, friends, cousins and other. Basically a happy fic. M for Destiel (only Destiel). Please R&R. Now Beta'd.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: So, you know how on Frasier most of the comedy comes from mistaking one person for another or thinking they're linked with each other differently than in reality. That's more or less what the fic is about.
> 
> The title is taken from Alanis Morissette's "Ironic" mostly the part 'It's meeting the man of my dreams/ And then meeting his beautiful wife '.
> 
> Oh, And of course SPN is not mine, obviously, please, don't sue me. Frasier doesn't belong to me as well, but they stolen this type of humor from Shakespeare, so I guess I'm clear.
> 
> Enjoy, and if you do, please review to let me know what you think.
> 
> And I have a Beta now. So a shout-out to Twilight684, who was kind enough to help me with my bad English.

"Dean, that's absolutely stunning," Sarah said, looking in awe at the furniture piece.

The vintage looking crib was made of dark wood with beautiful marquetry in the form of brighter wooden framing at the head and foot boards.

"Dude, you've really outdone yourself," Sammy added, probably glad he had an opportunity to squeal like a teenage girl for once. "But it's too much. I'm not sure we can accept it."

Sarah instantly nodded in agreement, though it would be more convincing without that pained expression on her face.

The look that Dean threw Sam's way clearly stated that, for such a genius, his baby brother was a complete idiot. "Of course you can, man. And, honestly, you'll be doing me a favor 'cause, besides furnishing, there's not much else I can offer your little girl."

"Now you're being an idiot!" Sam objected quickly.

"You're both being idiots," Sarah chimed in, effectively stopping the conversation. "Sam, we will gladly accept your brother's gift. And, Dean, you're gonna be the best uncle in the history."

Both men grinned at that, and Dean once again thought his sister-in-law was awesome and totally rocking the Winchester surname.

Sam didn't have a lot of girlfriends, much less one-night-stands; he was more of a settling kind of guy. But Dean had to admit that some of his little brother's earlier conquests made him cringe or reach for the holy water. First, in high school, there was Ruby. She was on Dean's blacklist because the girl was a stoner and tried to hook Sam up, and not on some _everyone-has-to-try-it_ weed, but on some brand new pills; Dean was having none of that.

Then during Sam's senior year he was going out with Lilith, which would be all great because the girl was smart and hot as hell, if it wasn't for the fact that she was bat-shit crazy. Dean was happy Sam still lived with their parents then and wouldn't bring a girl for a sleepover because, honestly, she probably would've killed them all in their sleep.

And then in college Sam met Jess. She was the perfect American Girl—all smiles, blue eyes and wavy blonde hair. She was nice enough, and Dean couldn't say anything bad against her if he tried, but he wasn't a fan. She was more of a fantasy and too apple pie for his taste, and the fact the apples were too much was definitely saying something. And, as he predicted, they broke up without much of a fuss or stomping feet on either part. Sam admitted later that his reasons for the breakup was the fact she didn't challenge him at all. So, just as Dean suspected, she was all sweetness and no filling.

But he was rooting for Sarah from the moment he met her, which was basically the day Sam met her. They were at some lame art exhibit that Sam had to attend because of his additional classes and he'd dragged Dean there under false pretenses. He said there would be chicks, because chicks dig art, and booze, because they buy said art more willingly after few drinks. Those were Sam's exact words. It was that moment Dean realized his brother would make a good lawyer because, while both statements were true, Sam conveniently failed to mention that the chicks were mostly painted and the real art-digging ones were married to Sam's professors or possibly their grandparents. And, as for the alcohol, it was some girly champagne for the snooty visitors.

Luckily for his lying ass, he met Sarah, who was overseeing the exhibit. It was the moment Dean was opening his mouth to tear his brother a new one when he caught a sight of him making a beeline in her direction.

Oh, that reminds him, he owed the little shit some ass whupping for that night eight years ago. He thought it pointless during the exhibit and later in the car since his brother was on a cloud nine, and the depths of Dean's sass and witty responses would be lost on the grinning bastard.

Long story short, the date Sam asked Sarah on that night turned into relationship, which turned into moving in together, which mutated into Mrs. Sam Winchester, a title which, for the first time in his life, he wasn't referring to his 6'4" brother. And now the madness has been spreading, or maybe sprouting, into another Winchester that was currently in the form of a huge baby bump Sarah was sporting.

"I have also a sitting chair and a chest of drawers as a set. I though it would go nicely with that rocking chair Mom gave you."

Sarah nodded in agreement, and all of them knew that Sam's opinion on this particular subject was not going to count.

"I haven't lacquered it yet, thought maybe you wanted to put some design on the headboard or something."

"Wow, that's very thoughtful. And I would like that, if it's ok with you?" Sarah added quickly.

"Yeah, no problem. I haven't finished it for a reason, but you know you'd have to find your own guy for that 'cause no one in my shop does that stuff."

Dean was referring to the furniture shop he owned. He was never a brainiac, but he was always very skillful. As a child he spent most of his freetime at 'W&S Mechanics', the garage that belonged to his father and uncle Bobby, but when he became a teenager he discovered his new hobby. It stuck and soon enough their house, and the households of their friends and family, were almost littered with his handmade wooden sculptures, carvings and small decorative accents.

His father was adamant, as he wished both of his boys went to the University, but when Dean sold his first piece totally out of the blue–something he made sitting on a porch, and one of their neighbors thought it would be a nice gift to his wife–he managed to convince his parents to put his school money into some shop and handcrafting courses. Now, over 10 years later, his shop was quite successful, employing staff and making a name for himself. It went so well Dean could focus on singular, extremely detailed, and one of a kind projects that brought in big bucks.

So when he learned that he was going to be an uncle, and that his brother and his wife were taking an almost meditative approach towards preparing for the baby, he decided to provide some basic necessities for the nursery. Apparently it went well if the looks on Mr. and Mrs. Sam Winchester's faces were anything to go by.

"Don't worry, Dean. I know a guy." Sarah winked in their direction. "He sometimes does some work in our decorative arts, textile and sculptures department." Sarah was working for the Minneapolis Institute of Arts as an event and exhibition planner. "His name is Castiel Novak, and he's the god of renovations."

The tone in which Sarah was describing the guy made Dean wonder what he did to end up in a family of nerds.

"We've talked a few times and he told me he's also a freelancer. He likes to make some decorative pieces, mostly for friends and family. I will call him and ask whether he would be interested." She hesitated for a moment. "Would you be OK with partnering up on this?" she asked, looking at Dean expectantly.

"Sure, no problem. I've been thinking about expanding my business recently, and one of the ideas was adding some applied arts guru to the staff anyways. Might as well beta test this shit and see how this guy works. It would be a good opportunity to check the market for some artists."

"Great, I will give him a call and see if I can take him up on his offer," she said, stepping from the brothers to make the phone call.

"And what did you say his name was again?" Dean shouted in her direction.

"Castiel Novak."

"Man," he turned towards his brother and sighed exasperatedly, "how am I gonna remember that?"

* * *

"Dean, I can take care of it myself. I'm pregnant, not paralyzed."

For such attitude he still liked Sarah the most.

They were loading the crib on his truck, because he's not exploiting Baby that way. And by 'they' he meant himself since Sarah was standing to the side and offering useful suggestions.

"Lady, forget it. Believe it or not, I've worked on that crib for a while. And it's a nice piece of furniture. I won't have your water breaking over it."

Her date was set for the beginning of August, which left them four months in the clear, but Dean wasn't taking any chances. "Besides, you've got Moose to boss around, why didn't you wait for him to drive you?"

"'Cause he's working on a case and I couldn't wait to start the project. Plus, Castiel was available at this time. But if you're busy..."

"Nah, it's cool. Wanted to meet this wonder child of yours anyways. But I still think that's a weird ass name... OK, all set. Can we get going now or do you have to pee again?"

* * *

The gate was locked and the bell seemed to be broken.

"He said that if it's locked we should just go get him when we arrive. But maybe you could go 'cause, at this rate, it'll get dark before I whale my way out of the car."

"Ok, you sit tight, eat a candy bar or whatever. I'm gonna get the guy. What's his name again?"

"Castiel. Castiel Novak," Sarah provided, giving him the stink-eye for the 'sweets' comment.

"How am I gonna remember that? Hope the guy responds to Cas."

"Wouldn't know, haven't tried. Now go 'cause your niece is starting to put pressure on my bladder."

The pregnancy comment had the expected effect and Dean jogged toward the buildings.

The first building, the big Victorian house, was dark and quiet, but Dean heard some commotion and music from the building behind it. It looked like a barn. As he got close he could see a man hunched over some Chippendale style armchair, working on it carefully with thread and needle with his back to Dean.

"You must be Mr. Novak? I'm Dean Winchester," he said gently so as not to startle the renovator. At the sound of his voice the man in question stood up and turned towards Dean, and when the latter was met with the bluest gaze in history his mind went blank.

On the other hand, his heart had some useful information to share.

 _"So there you are,_ " it provided helpfully.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It will be a happy fic. As I'm an only child from a small family I have this fantasy that big families/extended families share almost everything and have basically an open door policy to one another. So that's what you'll find here.
> 
> Anyways, thoughts?
> 
> Oh, I only ship Destiel, so that's the only smut there'll be.


	2. Chapter 2

The two men were staring at each other for few moments as Dean took in the man's whole appearance – tall, lean body, beautiful, pianist worthy hands, light stubble, sensuous lips, hair he was itching to run his fingers through, and of course those eyes. Dean gasped slightly and the whole picture shifted, his brain apparently waking up from the shock induced coma, screaming at him to move. _"You look like a creep, staring like that,"_ it stated, attempting to be supportive.

It made Dean take a deep breath. "Hey, man. I'm Dean."

He decided he should stick to the facts he was certain of. _"You can do this_ _,_ _"_ was his First Thought. _"You're an outgoing, confident guy,"_ provided the Second Thought. The Third Thought just snorted skeptically at the first and the second.

The other man seemed to shake up from his own reverie "Nice to meet you."

And at the sound of that voice Dean's Fourth Thought dropped onto the floor and sobbed uncontrollably.

"I'm Castiel. Were you looking for me?"

_"_ _ _Probably my whole life,__ _"_ Dean noted to himself, already admitting defeat because, obviously, the man in front of him had magical powers; one of which was the ability to turn Dean into a freaking Carrie Bradshaw, given his current inner monologues. The other was making Dean fantasize about white fences, dogs, babies and matching cardigans.

"Yeah, I think you were waiting for us? That whole baby crib business. Sarah said we're supposed to come here today."

At that, he remembered about the fact that his sister-in-law came here with him, and he felt a little bit guilty about not giving a shit about her.

"Sarah is waiting in the truck. Could you maybe come and open the gate? I don't want to keep the scary pregnant lady waiting." He smiled tentatively, trying desperately to hold onto any aspect of his existence that would make sense. It was not easy under the scrutinizing gaze the other man was focusing on him.

Cas' eyes filled with understanding of the situation. "Oh, of course. Sarah." And then it seemed they got sadder and left Dean's face to study something next to his ear. "You're here with Sarah _Winchester_ ," he acknowledged.

"Yup. She wanted to add some painting onto the headboard, and you know how it is. We're all just her loyal servants when it comes to baby stuff." He made an attempt to share a conniving glance with Castiel, but it was futile since the man was no longer looking directly at him.

"Well, we should not make her wait long then. I'll open the gate so you can drive up here."

As they were heading towards the main gate Dean tried to gather his thoughts. He could take his time since Cas didn't seem like a chatty guy. The silence wasn't strained though, he could even call in companionable.

So it's not like he had some gay freak-out since he'd dated both men and women in his past. It was more the person himself who got him so shaken up. He felt like some lame rom-com character who saw his freaking soul-mate from the other side of a crowded room, and that was really disconcerting. Hopefully it was just low blood pressure or something.

The truth was Dean was way past the point of the one-night stands and he was looking for something lasting, especially since he could see how great of a relationship Sam and Sarah had. He tried to build that as well with Lisa, but he realized he was just lying to himself. Lisa was a great girl, just not for Dean. As the time passed, and this was almost six years ago, the man realized he was more in love with the life Lisa brought with her than with the girl herself.

She had a son, a three-year-old at the time, Ben, and Dean took to fatherhood like fish to water. So he spent three great years as a stand-in father to the boy. Even when they broke up, on amazingly good terms as they both came to the conclusion they wanted more from the relationship, everybody was happy to keep the status quo. So even six years later Dean attended small league games, birthdays of both Ben and Lisa, and even an occasional parent-teacher conference. It helped a lot that Dean's family loved Ben; his mother and aunts were always more than happy to babysit him if necessary.

When the break-up happened he decided to buy a house right down the street from the Braedens, which was only convenient that his parents lived in the neighborhood as well. Luckily, Lisa knew that Dean was as important to Ben as the boy to his self-appointed father, and she took rather kindly to them continuing their relationship. That obviously wasn't easy for her love life, and she had her fair share of relationships that went south afterward because there weren't a lot of men who could deal with their girlfriend's ex having a bond with her son. Dean used to feel guilty about sneaking into their lives, but it ended quickly after Lisa's intervention. She was also relieved that her son had at least one father-figure in his life and there was no regret on her part. But even though Lisa was his most accomplished relationship, he hadn't felt as intimate with her during their courtship as he was starting to feel with the man he was currently walking side by side with.

Dean took a moment to pray to his guardian angel in the hopes Cas would reveal himself as being a selfish douche, because that would be only way for the green-eyed man to live through this.

The sight of the truck tore him from his thoughts, noticing Cas was already opening the door and helping Sarah out.

"Thanks, Castiel, I was starting to think Dean forgot about me. I see you've met each other already?" she said, looking fondly at both men.

Dean nodded, feeling silly he could ever let himself forget the name. Now it seemed so obvious that standing beside him was Castiel... Well, Cas, because he was already hell bent on calling him that... among other names.

"Yes, Dean has found me. I was just busying myself with a project I'm helping with. Please come inside, and we can take a look at the pieces you wanted me to work on." He turned his eyes on Dean. "Maybe you could drive up to the barn and unload the crib there while Sarah and I go on foot?"

Dean was hopping into the truck just like that, the question totally avoiding his brain and going straight to his legs. "Yeah, let's get this show on the road." He smiled a little and winked towards Cas, failing to notice the furrowed brows in response.

* * *

"So…" The three of them were standing in front of the barn yet again, crib already unloaded, and Cas inspecting it as Sarah started to explain what she was looking for. "I wanted to have some nature details on the headboard, 'cause there's already a dark wood ceiling pole. I thought about some forest-like accents in general. What do you think, Dean?" She turned to the taller man.

Dean understood why she asked him. He was the one making the furniture and she wanted to be respectful about his work, but he really didn't mind her doing it her own way.

"Nah, it's your show now. Do whatever you'd like."

"That's such a lame-ass excuse. You know, you could provide some opinion to help me," she huffed a little and rolled her eyes in an international 'men are unhelpful' expression.

"If I may interject," Castiel started quietly. "I think it's the best idea. I could make some leaf details on the headboard and something imitating rumbling ivy on a wall where it will be standing." He then turned his gaze to Dean, who was mostly quiet. "We could meet sometime next week and I'll take a look at the nursery and the pieces you want me to work on."

"Y-Yeah. That would work for me." Dean tried to sound neutral since Sarah was watching him like a hawk, and he didn't want her to gain some blackmail material. At the end of the day she was Team Sam after all. "We could have you scout the place first, then I'll show you the rest of the set and we'll go over some projects. How does that sound?"

"Sounds like a plan." Cas smiled in agreement. "Monday morning sound good to you?"

"Whatever works for you," Sarah chimed in. "I know you have your regular work as well, and I wouldn't want to get on your wife's hit-list," she added sneakily.

She was met with a confused gaze and a short laughter, and obviously his laughter was set to a frequency that made Dean's body shiver. "What makes you think I have a spouse?" came the curious response.

"I don't know," she answered quickly, and almost without hesitation she added, "Why wouldn't you?"

Cas' eyes fucking glimmered with mirth, and at that point Dean was basically whimpering at the sight. "Well, I won't be able to get married for another few months."

"August first?" Sarah asked knowingly.

"August first," came a wonderful response, and Dean was about to become a deeply religious man. "But I think we will be able to finish it before the date." Cas graced them with another soft smile. "Of course only if we start soon."

"It's a date then," Dean blurted, and even through the haze that was blocking his mind he could hear the over-eagerness in his own voice. _"_ _ _Smooth, Winchester."__

"You can leave the crib over here. It would be more convenient since we're gonna work on it over here anyway."

Dean let a relieved sigh at that. Obviously Cas once again decided to graciously turn a blind eye on the fact that he was forced into the company of a fidgeting moron. He was starting to think maybe he could even look at himself in the mirror before this decade ends as he was helping Sarah get in the truck.

He was about to jump into the driver's seat when Cas decided to turn directly to him, probably for the first time.

"Dean..." he started, and, God, no one had ever said his name more intimately than he managed to do. The man in question turned his head and, yet again, he noticed Cas was avoiding looking at him, choosing to inspect his shoes instead.

What Dean would give to see that gaze directed onto him.

"...Could I maybe count on you retrieving me on Monday? I currently share a vehicle with my siblings and it's my brother's turn then..."

He looked at Dean quickly and then almost immediately turned his gaze down. "Of course, if it's not an inconvenience," he mumbled so quietly Dean almost missed it under the sound of freaking bells in his mind. He really needed to check with his doctor because it looked like he had a tumor.

"Nah, man." Dean grinned. "I'll come by in the morning and take you myself. It'll be my pleasure," he blurted out before his mind could put a filter on his mouth

"In that case, I'll see you then," Cas said after a small pause before he quickly turned around and walked towards the barn, Dean shooting him one last look and climbing into the car.

"So, you and Castiel..." Sarah started with a knowing smirk.

"Oh, for the love of—Sarah!" Dean sighed exasperatedly as he turned the ignition on.

"What? I'm not saying anything. I'm just honored I could see Dean Winchester working his famous charm," she said with a shit-eating grin. "I have to tell you, it cleared some stuff up for me. Like, for example, why you've been going through a dry-spell recently. I mean, with those moves..."

"You're one to talk!" Dean barked in response. "Don't forget I was there when Sam asked you out for the first time. I kept wondering who would agree to go on a date with a tangled mass of limbs and hair."

They laughed at that and spent the rest of the drive trading pleasantries, but Monday could not come soon enough for Dean.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ps. August 1th was the set date when same-sex marriage will become legal in Minnesota last year
> 
> I was just looking for a place within States with same-sex marriage law and a museum with a decent decorative arts department. That's how they came to live in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Obviously, I'm not American and English is my third language, but I wanted it to be written this way. So if anyone got any inside into the place, opinion would be appreciated.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the same day as in the previous chapter, only from Cas' POV. Hope you'll enjoy.

Castiel had a good day, he really did. At least, his day had started quite well. Most days did when he got his breakfast set under his nose by his brother, who was usually using Cas' taste buds as beta testers for his new inventions — not that he was complaining.

His older brother Gabriel was a baker, pastry inventor, and a proud owner of 'Treats with Tricks' bakery and coffee shop. He had plenty of great ideas, which he mostly applied to inventing inappropriate names for his creations. Right now Castiel was faced with classics — Venus' Nipples. And that was one of the more traditional names one could find in the shop.

"Dig up, baby bro," Gabe called as he plopped on the chair next to his brother and grabbed few Nipples from the plate. "I'm testing the market, so tell me what you think. If it sells well I'm thinking of putting some more of the goddess' body parts on the menu. And maybe have an ice-cream line so you can savor it more," he added, grinning widely, which was nothing out of the ordinary. Cas would even say it was Gabe's permanent expression. He got that after their mother — she was as creative and always coming up with some unconventional idea.

"Gabe, you do realize there are children visiting your shop, don't you?"

"Well, this is gonna only show them human sexuality is something you can play with when you grow up!" Gabriel replied cheerfully.

The reply was met with an eye-roll "Just remember, the day parents come to your shop to tar-and-feather your ass, I'll be there sitting in front row, laughing _mine_ off," Cas warned his brother in the spirit of sibling solidarity.

"Come on! Parents love me. Have you got any idea how many fruits I manage to smuggle into these pastries?" he said, walking toward the exit.

Cas just sighed because, seriously, nobody understood the pain of having a brother like Gabe.

"Oh, that reminds me!" The man in question back-peddled from the door. "I'm gonna need a car for the whole next week. I've gotta prepare for Children's Day."

"Gabe, don't be obnoxious. Who celebrates Children's Day in April?"

"Bolivia, Colombia, Mexico, Taiwan, Turkey, and a whole bunch of different countries. I'm planning on doing themes and flavors on each day."

"Will it offend patriotic feelings?" came a half-hearted question, because he already had an idea regarding the answer.

"Oh, come on! It's an innocent __El Día Del Niño.__ What could go wrong? Besides, we're all the world, we're all the children, __hermano.__ "

"And how am I supposed to get anything done without a car?"

"If you need a ride just let me know and I'll put on my chauffeur cap. And besides, Balthy called, he's flying in sometime next week. I'm sure he's gonna rent some sweet ass ride to show off his posh."

"When did Balthazar call?"

"Yesterday. He weaseled his way into the house. British bastard played the 'family' card; like he couldn't bother some poor hotel staff instead of us."

Gabe was always bitching when they had guests, despite the fact they liked their cousins and their company.

"Well, I for one am glad we're gonna see Balth again."

"Of course you are, baby brother. You will have a nerd companion through all the mausoleums you're probably gonna scout to try to loot dead-people stuff from. And, if it's necessary, just take a cab. I'll even pick up the tab, but I need the car next week. And what about today?"

"Today I plan to work on the pieces in the workshop, and later an acquaintance of mine is gonna visit. She will maybe have some small, private project for me to participate in."

"OK, I'm leaving now. There are some newly invented muffins and the pie on the counter. You know the rule–all guests must fill out my Pastry Performance Card. Feed them even at gun point."

"You know, not everyone has as much of a sweet tooth as you. Some people just don't like sweets."

"Now you're just talking crazy," Gabriel said, sounding almost offended. "Gotta go now. Good luck on your mission to bring joy and beauty into this glum world." And with a final wink he left.

* * *

Cas was really glad Sarah asked him to take part in this project. He loved his job in restoration—being able to bring older pieces back to life. But every time he did, it was accompanied by a pang of disappointment that those beautiful furniture, tableware and other artifacts wouldn't serve their purpose anymore. After he was done with them they would go back to various museums or private collections to be set on display and never being used. That's why he decided to start working on new pieces, decorating objects that could be used daily but still be made to look beautiful and unique.

That was also the reason he needed to talk to Balthazar. As a art merchant his cousin had a great insight to where he could even start building the client base, what the best way to acquire broken down pieces he could work on was, and he could help Castiel with appraisal. Cas had basically no business instinct because he was always focused on the aesthetic aspect of things, which was totally unlike the other Novak. Balthazar and his partner Crowley run a London based firm that Gabe fondly named 'The Chop Shop', and laughed at the fact that Cas wants to become their forger. He didn't find it any less amusing even after Cas pointed out that the two terms don't fit with each other, which was of course useless.

Not that their cousin wouldn't appreciate art. In fact, his vast knowledge of the subject left everyone stunned. As he would say, he was just finding another way to make art more useful by applying his knowledge of current trends in real life.

Like the Chippendale chair that was sitting in the barn-turned-workshop. It was way more common that the pieces Cas usually handled, and he did it only because he trusted Balthazar's judgment. In the merchant's opinion it was a hot piece among people who couldn't afford really pricey stuff and yet gave them an illusion of luxury. So that sort of furniture was always worth some effort since there were always buyers looking for them.

Cas took in the work he did so far and started planning his next course of action. He always worked with some music, preferably from the period matching the piece, so now he decided on music from Farinelli. He soon got so focused on the work he didn't even take notice of the horn sounding from outside of the gate. He also didn't hear anyone walking up to him.

It was just a voice that broke his concentration, though Cas didn't pay much attention to the words, shoving them to the back of his mind, more focused on the enticing sound of it—really masculine but also extremely soothing. And it said much as Cas would usually jump out of his skin if startled like that. So Cas got up and smiled a little, glad that for once in his life he's not gonna embarrass himself with some undignified shriek, jumpiness or general lack of social graces; unlike his siblings and cousins he was never the outgoing type.

His newly acquired confidence died quickly though. The second he took in the stranger's appearance he couldn't come up with any constructive thought apart from __'fuck my life'__ that was thrumming in his head.

The man standing in front of him with a coy smile was simply stunning. Cas wondered if he'd maybe agree to pose for Cas, because he sure as hell could be the inspiration for the modern days' David. Castiel thought of the way he would try and fail constantly to mix the paints in order to mimic this man's eye color, how he'd have to use various brushes to replicate the spatter of his freckles, and how painting wouldn't be enough and he would have to find his sculpturing supplies in order to copy his jawline and the shape of his lips. Oh, God, the lips... The lips that are now opening as the man in front of him is saying something. _"Focus, Castiel..."_

"Hey, man. I'm Dean."

"Nice to meet you." Cas was still a little confused as to what this man was doing here, but then it all clicked and he forced him to tear his look from those mesmerizing eyes because the sight was not for him to appreciate and worship.

"You're here with Sarah _Winchester_." Cas grounded himself. Sweet, intelligent and pregnant Sarah Winchester, who asked him to decorate a crib for her baby. And who's apparently waiting in the car he could see parked outside the gate.

So they started walking in her direction, and Cas should be a good host and start a conversation, but he's too focused on walking straight because if he'd let his mind wander on other subject his body would involuntarily drift towards Dean. So the entire time he's concentrating on the silhouette of the pregnant woman inside the car and his even steps.

He's also thinking about a way to detach himself from the other man, so he asked him to drive up to the barn while he and Sarah were about to walk.

* * *

"That crib is really beautiful." He only took a peek, but it was artfully built from what he could tell.

Where did you find it?" _"Way to go, Castiel, you don't have problems striking up the conversation now, _"__ he thought derisively.

"I didn't," Sarah answered and smiled at the thought. "Dean made it himself."

" _Of course he did _,"__ Cas thought, resigned because that man needed one more skill to make Cas weak on his knees.

"It's his work. When we met he already had this business and it's only expanded since then. And he's great at what he does. I think like half of our furniture was made by him." She seemed to be calculating something. "The other half was a present from Mary," she said, and added upon seeing his questioning look, "Mary Winchester. My mother-in-law."

Their conversation didn't last long as they came up to the truck, Dean already unloading the furniture into the barn. As it stood there Dean inspected it for any dents or damages it might have suffered during the transport. As he finished he gave one last gentle stroke the headboard as if to remove some nonexistent pollen. The sight of those slightly calloused, tanned palms caressing the dark wood was so arousing Cas had to bite his lip to stifle a moan.

Luckily Sarah was there so he could focus on her and the ideas she had for the project. Cas had agreed earlier to do the work on the entire nursery, and apparently Dean was going to help out as he made some of the furniture.

He noticed that when he had no choice but to talk directly to the other man, Dean was fidgeting and looking rather uncomfortable, especially after Sarah confirmed Cas' homosexuality. _"Nice job Cas, you scarred the man with the whole ogling him."_ So he tried to act neutral and suggested their course of actions. They would meet Monday in their house and professionally talk about the whole deal.

Too bad it was only after that Castiel remembered that he was going to be without any means of transportation that day. Of course he could demand Gabriel take him into the city, but the opportunity was too enticing to pass. He wanted to learn as much as he could about Dean, to spend some time with him even if nothing would ever come of it, and that was a good way to start.

"Could I maybe count on you retrieving me on Monday? I currently share a vehicle with my siblings and it's my brother's turn then..."

But Dean was already smiling at him. "I'll come by in the morning and take you myself. It'll be my pleasure." And, God, Cas imagined these words being said in different settings...

They soon parted their ways and Cas shuffled towards the house.

As he entered the house his eyes fell onto the cabinet. Ugh, he'd forgotten to serve them pie. Gabe was gonna be pissy. He shrugged. He'd tell him he tried. After all, not all people are as enthusiastic about pie as his brother is. With that thought Cas decided to call it a day and head upstairs.

Upon entering his room he didn't even bother to switch the light on. He just fell onto the bed and groaned into the pillow. Yeah, so he had a fairly nice day, and as it progressed Castiel met the man of his dreams. Too bad he already knew his beautiful, pregnant wife…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OK. I've got the impression that Gabe is not as much out there to be believable. Don't know. Gonna work on that.
> 
> And I promise more dialogues less internal monologues, cause this chapter was a whole new achievement, even for my standards.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a little filler, but it introduces a load of characters, so bear with me. I wanted the chapters to be the similar length and it was getting out of control. So Dean and Cas' day later in the week.
> 
> And if you like anyone in particular I can get them more screen time in later chapters.   
> And again, thanks to my patient Beta.

Monday morning Dean woke up to the buzzing of his phone.

"Whaat?" Dean grunted because it was too early to get angry.

"Same as always I see. Sorry for waking you," a familiar voice came from the phone.

"I'll survive, Lis. Everything OK?" Dean asked, more alert than his voice gave away.

"Generally, yes, but I need a little help with Ben today, if that'd be OK?" she inquired calmly, not for the first time coming to Dean for help in the matter.

"Sure, what do you need?"

"He's coming down with some bug, and I don't want to leave him alone. Do you think you could come by later and check on him? Gonna keep him home for few days."

He took a mental note of his schedule. He had to pick Cas up, then head to Sam's place to plan their course of action for the nursery, then drive him back, and in the evening he was having dinner at his parent's place.

"I can do you one better. I'm doing a lot of driving today, but I can take him to my parents. Mom and Ben get along fine, and she's a black belt in curing people, so she can kick his ass back to health," he offered.

"Are you sure that's not gonna be an inconvenience?" she said hesitantly, but she was lacking any other options. "It's not her obligation, or-"

"Lisa, stop. Ben is like family, and so are you. We already tested Mom's babysitting skills when we were together and, trust me, she makes this tomato-rice soup that makes me jealous of Ben's flu right now."

He won himself a relieved laugh from her. "Well, OK, if you say so. But, please, call Mary first and ask her. I don't wanna dump a sick kid on her out of nowhere."

"Sure thing, but be ready. I'll pop by your place in an hour and take the snot-nose off your hands. And you don't have to worry, I can take him back later."

"I can do that. It's just a couple of blocks."

"Nah, I'm having dinner with the folks anyways, you go do something for yourself. I'm gonna take him back around nine probably."

"Great. Thanks a lot, Dean. We'll be waiting then," Lisa sighed, clearly relieved.

"Ha! I knew you knew my Mom would agree!" Dean exclaimed, satisfied to be right.

"Yeah, yeah. I’ve always depended on the kindness of Winchesters. See you when you get here."  
  


* * *

 

Dean parked his car in front of the Braedens’ house about an hour later. The phone call to his mom was quick and ended with a "Get your butts down here" from the other side. As he walked to the door he shot a quick prayer of thanks for his awesome family that one could always count on.

The door was opened by a very unhappy looking boy holding his backpack. "Hey Dean," he mumbled unintelligibly because of his stuffy nose.

"Hey, Ben." Dean grinned, a similar picture invading his memories–a 6-year-old Ben clutching to his teddy-bear and diving into his and Lisa’s then-shared bed to hide from the storm with a similarly miserable look on his face as now.

"Ready to go? Man, you're in for a treat. Being sick at Casa Winchester is like a holiday in the Bahamas. Whole nine yards, right up to fruity drinks with a bendy straw."

He was answered with a short but little more enthusiastic nod as Lisa emerged from inside of the house.

"Ok, Ben. Be good, and try not to cause too many troubles for Mrs. Winchester," Lisa told him, the boy giving another nod. "Thanks again, Dean."

He returned her smile and nodded as well. "Are you kiddin' me? Mom lives for taking care of weakened and sick people, it's like her life mission. And she needs a final rehearsal before the mini-Moose gets here. Let's go."

With a short wave at Lisa Dean went back to the car, accompanied by Ben. "If you're gonna spew your guts, let me know. ‘Cause there are consequences of puking in my Baby," Dean said after they sat in the Impala and strapped their belts, because he wasn't driving the kid otherwise.

He was glad to be in his Baby again. He spent the entire last week driving the truck, making deliveries and getting materials for ordered furniture. Today he was driving people, and he liked to do that with style, especially one particular person he was meeting today. After all, a little good impression would only work in his favor.

"You ok there? Seem a little quiet, buddy," he asked his current human cargo.

"Fine. Just wanna lay down," Ben answered tiredly, although he was fidgeting slightly in his seat.

The remaining drive went by in silence. After all, his parents just lived just a few block over. So soon enough Dean killed the engine and looked over to the passenger seat, but Ben made no move to leave the car.

"Dean, can I ask you something?" came a quiet question.

"Sure, what's up?"

"You don't have to say yes... I mean...I'd totally understand if you say no...but I thought...that maybe..."

"Jeez, buddy, you're not asking my daughter to prom." Dean smiled lightly. "Just spill it."

Ben gave him a weak smile in response. "We have this project at school. We're supposed to make a genealogy tree of our family and add some souvenirs or some funny stories other people have about our family members."

So what, the kid wanted him to spill the beans about something from Lisa's past? Because Dean was walking encyclopedia of embarrassing facts of varied ratings, some of them even fitting for a school project. He waited for Ben to ask him, though, which he was obviously about to given the deep breath the boy took.

"So I hoped you won't mind if I put you and your family on the paternal side of my tree," he blurted out as quickly as possible.

Now Dean was quite certain he heard that, but it didn't make any sense. He always thought Ben saw him as this barely stranger who lived in his house and that the boy only spent time with the ex-boyfriend to humor his mother, so Dean was working his jaw in attempt to say something but was defeated by the huge grin that spilled all over his face.

"That would be awesome if you really want to," he answered, but the boy was still not meeting his eyes.

"Seriously, Ben," Dean added, finally forcing him to look up. "I'm really honored you see me that way, and I'd love to be a part of your family. And I hope you know that even though I'm not with your mom anymore you can still come to me anytime with anything."

Ben smiled, looking relieved. "Thanks , Dean. And I knew that."

"OK, let's go inside or my mom will think we're conspiring. Besides, you really should lay down."

Ben went back to just nodding.

"And , tell you what..." Dean added as he stepped out of the car. "When I get back later we can make a trip to the attic to look for some family photos , and maybe we'll find some useful stuff. It's gonna be awesome." He was met with a grateful smile.

"You know that mom's ancestors came here on the Mayflower?" And here it was—his inner nerd waking inside the small boy.

“ _ _Seriously,”__ Dean thought rather fondly. _“_ _ _It's like Nerdville; Sam, Sarah__ _ _,__ _ _and now Ben. I wonder who else around me is gonna turn out to be a closeted nerd.”__ "So I'm sure she can tell you a whole bunch of stories," he finished and knocked the door.

Really, there was no need for that since his keychain was heavy with several sets of keys, which was kind of funny as he only had three of his own–the Impala, his house and the store. The rest were the keys to houses of his family and some friends as well. Seriously, he sometimes felt like a damned porter.

Both Dean and Ben looked up as the door finally opened and they were greeted with the sight of a smiling Mary.

"Hey, honey," she said to Dean before turning to the boy. "Hey, Ben, sweetie. Why don't you both come in. Ben, there's already couch with your name on it in the living room since I didn't want to exile you up to Dean's old room—the fumes coming out of there could just make you worse." She fixed her son with a pointed look but the slight smile destroyed the whole _mean_ vibe.

"Thank you, Mrs. Winchester, and sorry for all the inconvenience," Ben said softly, and Dean was again reminded of what a great kid Ben was.

"No inconvenience at all. I'm happy to help," Mary replied as she started walking into the house before she suddenly turned her head and winked at the boys. "And, just a heads up, you're just in time for some Winchester-Winchester drama."

Dean grinned at that, and Ben just looked up curiously as the taller man mouthed, "You'll see."

Soon enough, as they entered the living room, they could hear a clear:

"John Henry Winchester, I could kick your butt when we were children, and I'm not above doing so now."

"Hey, aunt Ellen," Dean greeted and the woman who was just threatening his father looked their way.

"Hey, boy. Hello, Ben."

"Good morning, Mrs. Harvelle," Ben greeted, being well acquainted with basically every member of Dean's family like John Winchester's two younger sisters–Ellen and Kate, respectively going by the names of Harvelle and Milligan; although it seemed that Kate went back to her maiden name after the divorce.

Kate and her son Adam lived next door, and Ellen and her daughter Jo ran a local bar, known as The Roadhouse, that Ellen took after her husband, William, died. The three of them, Ellen, Jo and Ash—Ellen's stepson from her husband's first marriage, we're living a short driving distance as well in the house next to the bar. And because the members of the Winchester clan kept close to each other, there was basically an open house policy in each household.

Dean was raised together with his cousins and his baby brother, and, being the oldest one, felt very protective of their bunch. The closest to his age was Ash, only a year behind, and since Ash's father married Ellen when the boy was three, they spend a lot of time together. Then there was Sammy, Dean's younger brother. Another addition to their little bunch, coming just months after Sam, was Jo, and then four years later the baby of the group, Adam, came along.

John, being the head of the family, didn't have it easy with two sisters like that.

"Don't sweat it, Ellie," came a calm response from Dean's collected—as usual—father. "Ash is a grown-ass man, and if he wants to go on a hunting trip with Bobby and myself, you can't really say no. Besides, a little wilderness will be good for that boy."

"I know! But I'm not a fan of your manly club shunning us girls out!"

"Oh, Jo can come too, if she's willing." John took an irritatingly slow sip from his cup. He knew it would drive his sister crazy, and Ellen knew he did it on purpose, so she just throw a book at him and stormed out while muttering something about 'semen solidarity' and 'no more free booze'.

Mary, Dean and Ben were just standing in the doorway, listening to the sibling banter, all highly amused.

"Hey, Dad. I see aunt Ellen is up with the protective mother act again."

Seriously, it wasn't necessary. Dean went on few of those hunting trips with his dad and uncle Bobby, and it was mostly camping, drinking beer and making s'mores.

"Hello, Dean. Like you wouldn't believe; what a mother hen she turned into. Would you be surprised to know that as a little girl she didn't even like kids?" John asked before he turned to the younger boy. "Nice to see you again, Ben. Heard you'll be accompanying my wife today?"

"Yes. Hello, Mr. Winchester." Ben smiled and shook the offered hand.

"Yeah, Dad. I'm leaving Ben in Mom's capable hands. Sorry, but gotta go now. I'll be seeing you this evening?"

"Of course, boy. Your brother and Sarah are gonna be here around seven, so I hope it suits you as well. And could you bring some dessert? I was hoping that us scroungers could go easy on your mom this time," John asked, smiling lovingly at the silhouette of Mary in the garden.

"No problem, Dad. I know this great pastry shop. I'll get us some Rosy Cheeks," Dean decided and added quickly at John's questioning look, "No, Dad. It's like two buns connected together and filled with these rose 'confitures', which is basically a marmalade. So it looks like butt cheeks and it taste like roses. Get it?" And when he didn't hear any appraisals from his father—not Dean's fault the man couldn't appreciate the finer things in life—he felt the need to elaborate.

"‘Cause, there's this shop in town and all the pastry names are, like, uncommon. For example-"

"Yes, Dean, I understand. You found a coffee shop that bills extra for funny names. I'll be sure to take that into consideration when I stuff my mouth with it. But, now, us simple folks have to go to our mundane, little less racy jobs," John interrupted, effectively ending the conversation. "And, Ben, I hope you will stay to have dinner with us."

"Yes, thanks, Mr. Winchester."

"OK, you're all good, Ben, so I'll be seeing you later," Dean told him before saying his goodbyes to his family and going back to the car.

OK, so it looked like the day was going good so far, and it was about to get even better as he'd have a chance to learn more about Cas… And maybe ask him out.


	5. Chapter 5

Cas went to answer the door with an uneasy feeling; he would be spending a better part of the day in Dean's company, and that fact made him both excited and had him dreading the moment. He liked the idea of getting to know the other man better, but he was scared that the crush he developed after their one short meeting would turn into something more, and he could not allow that to happen. So when he opened the door and was met with a wide grin he cursed himself for ever thinking that this would be a good idea.

"Hello, Dean," he greeted to start somewhere.

"Hey, Cas," the taller man answered, and hesitated slightly after realizing what he just said. "I hope you don't mind me calling you that?" he asked quickly.

"No, not at all." Castiel already loved his new nickname. "You're the first to call me that. Most of my family goes with Cassie... Please, don't use that."

"No worries," Dean laughed, glad the mood got lighter. But was he not allowed to use that name because Cas would never see him as family, or did he simply prefer Cas?  _ _"God_ _ _ _,_ _ _ _Winchester, don't over-think it_ _ _ _._ _ _ _”_ _

"That doesn't suit you at all," he decided. "Gonna stick with Cas." He smiled at the man, deciding it was a good time to start working his charm, though apparently it wasn't working as well as usual as the dark-haired man lowered his gaze immediately and mumbled something under his breath.

They stood on the porch for a while until Dean finally snapped himself out of it. "OK, ready to go?"

"Of course. And, again, thank you for going out of your way to drive me."

"Don't mention it, man. It gave me the opportunity to take my Baby out for a spin.

"Baby?" Cas asked, though an answer wasn’t necessary as they rounded the house and he found himself standing in front of the Impala. "Wow!"

The car was pure aphrodisiac with it’s sleek black paintjob and silver rims shining in the sunlight. Cas didn't know, but his stocks had just risen up in Dean's eyes, not that they weren't extremely high to begin with.

"Yup, I rebuilt her with the help of my dad and my uncle Bobby... They own a garage together... Well, he's not really my uncle, but I’ve known him my entire life, and you know how it is." Dean had to fight to stop himself from rambling, but thankfully it didn't seem to bother Cas.

"So what about you?" Dean inquired as he backed away from the driveway. "Big family?"

Cas shot him a curious gaze.

"No, man, I'm only asking ‘cause you live in this big house. Do you live here by yourself?" Dean felt he needed to know; for some reason the idea of Cas wandering around this big, empty house made him sad. If Dean got his way Cas wouldn't ever feel left out or lonely again.

"Moderate, I suppose," came the calm answer. "And we live here together. There's me, two of my siblings, and our parents."

"I just asked ‘cause it looks close to abandoned, just like the first time I was here," Dean offered an explanation of a sort. "It didn't feel right you living here all by yourself," he added before he could censor his thoughts, and, shit, did he say everything he thought?

Cas fixed him with a longer look this time, glad Dean was driving so there was no threat of being drowned in those mesmerizing emeralds. "No. As luck would have it, my sister and parents are simultaneously out of town, and I have to share my car with my brother. And he needed it to run his business, so I'm afraid I had to bother you."

"Dude, we've already established it’s no bother," Dean assured him before they both fell silent. He thought the silence should have been uncomfortable, but it wasn't. On the other hand he was dying to learn a little bit more about his companion, so he stuck to the subject Cas seemed to feel comfortable answering.

"So, does your family travel a lot? ‘Cause you might want to think of ‘one car per person’ kind of deal."

"And here I was thinking you didn't mind," Cas retorted with an flirty smile before quickly putting himself together. "No. They don't actually, and that's why we're presently one car short."

"Wow, so, what, you carpool to work?" Dean asked curiously, already deciding he was going to work as hard as it took just to see that grin again.

"No, most of us work from home. Only my brother has to drive to his shop in town."

"Shop?" Dean asked, eagerly absorbing the smallest details.

"Yes, he's a baker and has his own patisserie."

"Wow, brother baker? You've really won the lottery there." Dean eyes almost glazed over with the imagery.

"Just shows you've never met him. Even though he’s the oldest he can be irritably childish, and he turns everything into a joke." Cas felt he needed to explain when met with Dean's questioning gaze. "Even when it comes to his business, and as hardworking as he is, he was struck with the idea of a totally inappropriate name and menu and wouldn't change it for the world," the man huffed in exasperation.

"So what's the name of the shop?"

"It's called 'Treats with Tricks', but that's not the most unset-" Cas was cut off by a loud shriek that erupted from the driver's seat.

"Trickster is your brother?!" Dean shouted, still not believing his luck. He was positively giddy with excitement, and Cas couldn't help but share his smile.

"I'm sorry? Who?" Now it was Cas' turn to feel lost.

"I mean Gabriel, but that's what he makes his customers call him," the man said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Then again, it was Gabe, so...

"Of course he does…" Cas muttered, honestly far from surprised.

Oh, man. I love that place," Dean continued. "He is the master of the Apple Threesome," he blurted out before he could think of what he was saying.

"I'm sorry?" The man in the passenger seat blushed furiously, and Dean couldn't bear how adorable he looked like that.

"It's a pie," Dean murmurs, a little bit embarrassed.

"Seriously? Gabe called one of his pies a Threesome?" Cas couldn’t help but ask, though, in hindsight, he honestly shouldn’t have been surprised.

"Yeah, and it's awesome," Dean told him, feeling the need to protect the good name of the pastry. "There's a traditional apple filling, thick apple sauce inside of the crust, like cheese in a pizza, and dried apple shavings on top. It's the best pie in creation!"

"Glad you like it. Gabe will be sure to shove a little down your throat since he makes everyone his taste-testers… Actually, there was a pie for you to taste the other day, but it completely slipped my mind," Cas said thoughtfully.

"Maaan!" Dean whined loudly. "You mean there was a pie with my name on it and I missed it?! You're lucky you're so good looking, otherwise this wouldn't end well for you," he added, making another attempt at flirting. It was not met with acceptance as Cas furrowed his brows somewhat angrily, and turned to look the other side. They were riding like this for a while before Dean decided to clear the mood and go back to neutral topics.

"So, Gabe is one of your siblings, but you said something about a sister as well?"

Cas shook himself from his thoughts and quickly glanced in Dean's direction before finally lowering his eyes. "Yes, Anna. She's a writer, just like our parents actually."

"Yeah? Someone I might have heard of?" Dean asked, not that he was some avid reader or anything, but he’d sometimes find a book or two every now and then that would catch his attention. Besides, his family members were constantly throwing reading material at each other in attempts to convince them to get acquainted their new favorites.

"Well, my sister, Anna, and father, Chuck, actually go under a pen name. Anna doesn't like people to know it, but my dad writes under Carver Edlund."

There was a spark of recollection in Dean's eyes at that. "Man, I know that guy. When my dad and uncle Bobby took us kids on their so called 'hunting trips' they always had Edlund's short stories and read them to us beside the campfire. Man, some of them gave us nightmares!" he told him, his words contradicted by the light smile gracing his lips.

"My cousin Adam probably still checks under the bed for ghouls, Jo won't move to an apartment building, and Sammy nearly pisses himself at the sight of clowns. It's awesome. And Ash only now wants to go back into the woods ‘cause he's been so afraid of running into a Wendigo." Dean clapped his hands in amusement, remembering a conversation that took place earlier. Maybe he would tag along with them again, and maybe Ben would like to come as well… Or Cas... They could share a tent.

"So does your sister and your Mom also write awesome stuff like that?"

"My sister's series is actually quite popular, yes. And my mom, Rebecca, writes mostly romance novels or women-empowering books. But only Anna is off working now—she's gathering materials for her next book. My parents went on my father's jubilee tour, having book signings in the cities from his novels, and they decided to turn it into a road-trip like the characters in the story."

"On the road in their car. I dig that."

"So, what about your family?" Cas asked hesitantly, not sure he would be happy with the information he would be provided with.

"Well, you already know Sarah, so... Oh, we're here, man. I’ll tell you everything later."

When Dean moved to park his car on a curb next to a well-kept house, Cas pondered for a while why he didn't simply leave the Impala in the garage, but he realized Dean wasn't done driving for the day.

He followed the other man to the door and noticed him holding a heavy keychain with an abundance of keys on it. "Don't tell me you're moonlighting as a porter somewhere," Cas joked as he observed Dean retrieving one and opening the door. The taller man turned and shot him a look that clearly said  _ _'That's what I've been saying, dude'_ _ _ _,_ _ and they both smiled at the shared thought .

Upon entering the house , the first thing Cas noticed was that it was filled with wooden furniture that was probably made by Dean. The first thing he noticed, and fell in love with even faster than with it's maker , was the beautiful custom-made library shelves; there was even a fucking rolling ladder! The shelves went up to the ceiling and were topped by a handsome cornice, and it was filled with all kinds of books from plain horror and crime pulp to beautiful, heavy art albums.

Cas was openly staring and basically drooling over the piece when an amused voice drew his attention away.

"Man, if you want to make sweet love to it, I can give you a minute."

The words caused Cas to blush furiously, which only made Dean more compelled to push his buttons every time he could; the way the painter's usually alabaster skin flushed caused hot flashes in Dean's body.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be rude. It's just an exquisite piece of work," he apologized, feeling the need to explain himself as he took in the entire room. It was basically an opened-space dining room and day room connected, and the kitchen was separated only by a high counter with a few bar stools next to it.

He could easily pinpoint the pieces Dean made as he looked around. In the kitchen there was a heavy island, three legged stools next to it, and a set of piattini (and Cas somehow felt Dean would snort at him if he were to use that term) and a wine rack that was split into two zones on the top half for wine glasses that could hang upside down. There was a drawer in the middle and divided spaces for wine underneath, and there were some decorative accents there as well.

Cas shifted his attention to a wooden frame that was a little crude by comparison to other pieces, but was definitely Dean's as well.

"It's the first thing I ever did," Dean explained, standing behind Cas.

It was true; he carved the simple frame when we was 15 and gave it to Sammy as a present. There was currently a picture of Sam, Dean and Sarah in it, the three of them piling onto each other and making faces at the camera.

"And who's that man?" Cas asked as he pointed to the person who was towering over both Sarah and Dean, which was quite an accomplishment since Dean was no shrimp.

"Oh, you haven't met Sammy yet? He's my baby brother."

" _ _Baby_ _ brother?!" Cas shouted incredulously

"Yeah, I know," Dean snorted. "Dude is a freaking giraffe, but he's awesome. I can't believe you haven't met him."

"Why , should I have?" Cas didn't see any probable situation in which he would come across the younger Winchester.

"You’re probably right. I thought you might have run into each other at the museum, but I guess not. OK, I'm gonna grab something to drink and then we can make plans for the nursery."

Cas nodded and shortly after they were stepping into a bare room that was going to become their shared project.

"Is Sarah not gonna be here?" asked Cas, who was constantly reminding himself about the woman. "I thought she would like to oversee the plan."

"Nah, she's still at work. She's freaked about the maternity leave, so she's peeing around her office now and trying to make the others miss her when she'll be at home." Dean laughed lightly, which was quickly becoming Cas' favorite sound. "Besides, she thinks of you as of some sort of art prodigy, so she's leaving it up to you. I'm mostly done with all the pieces, just gonna lacquer them when you're done and maybe make some necessary adjustments."

Cas nodded and they began to make plans.

Dean was fascinated with the way Cas' mind worked. His ideas we're very practical but also extremely artful, and his overall vision of the room made Dean self-conscious about his own input. How could he think his rustic, lumpish furniture would ever impress Cas? His amazing talent and abundance of artistic skills were clearly visible, only amplified by years of thorough education, and Dean was a self-taught man who could do some carpentry.

No wonder Cas made no move to flirt back at any of his attempts. There were probably tons of classy, elegant men falling over each other just to ask Cas out. Dean was so out of his league on this one… How could he ever think someone like Cas would like to work for Dean's shop? Great, now he almost dreaded tomorrow since he was planning to take the painter there.

"Dean, are you ok?" Cas asked when he noticed the other man was out of focus. He felt a strange uneasiness. "I mean...if you don't like it we could work on other ideas. It was just my first draft, we don't have to-" he was interrupted by a hand covering his own.

"Cas, it's perfect. You're so talented, so don't you worry, and let's do this."

Cas offered him a small smile but gently slid his hand out from under Dean's.

"I'm gonna finish the project tonight, and tomorrow we can get the remaining furniture from your shop. Will that be ok?" Cas asked quietly, unable look at Dean at the moment.

"Sure, I'll pick you up around the same time. Now, let me take you back, you probably have some painting to save and pieces to restore," Dean joked lamely in an attempt to disarm the sudden tension in the house.

The drive back was filled with different topics, mostly regarding the Impala or the music. He even let Cas pick up the tunes and almost declared his undying love when Cas picked up the Led Zeppelin tape, though it appeared Cas was more of a Dire Straits man himself, which was fine with him. Dean was yet again humbled when he learned about Cas' time spent studying in Italy and Spain, and he almost passed on his story about the road-trip he, Ash and Sammy took when the latter turned 18, but the obvious interest on Cas' part made him relax a little bit. The painter seemed to be truly interested in Dean's experiences, or maybe he was just far too polite to look bored…  
  


* * *

 

They arrived at Novak's residence to see a car parked in front of the house with the driver's door wide open.

"Gabe's home," Cas noted and jumped when a face sprang into his line of vision.

"Cassie! You're home! Move your ass and help we with these boxes."

Both men in the Impala shared a knowing smile and moved to get out of the car.

"Deano!" Gabriel shouted when he came back out of the house to get more boxes from his car. "I see you've finally embraced your inner stalker and found out where I live. Let me guess, you've befriended Cassie under false pretenses to get close to me?" He winked and turned to his brother, who was glaring at him. "Deano is a faithful client of mine. I've got him hooked on my goodies." That comment was rewarded with an eye roll.

The three of them moved the remaining boxes into the house's built-in walk-in freezer. "Thanks for the help, guys," Gabe said with a smile as he turned to the taller man. "Here," Dean couldn't stop himself from taking a step backwards as Gabriel started fumbling with his jeans' pockets, "...check out my Nice Package."

The shorter man pulled out a small present box complete with a ribbon. "These are the new truffles I'm testing, Deano. Try it," he said as he shot him a grin.

Dean opened it carefully since it was from Gabriel. When nothing blew into his face and he saw a small chocolate lying there, Dean snatched it and took a bite, his eye glazing over as he was devouring the treat.

"I take it you approve?"

"Dude, it's awesome. Which reminds me, I have to swing by your store to buy some desserts. Dinner at my parents place," he offered as an explanation.

"Don't you worry, brohito. Gabe is here to save the day." He disappeared behind the door just to emerge shortly with a plate full of pastries. "Here, go nuts. And consider it a thank you for helping my baby brother," he smiled knowingly.

"Thanks, Gabe. I appreciate it. Gotta go, so I guess I’ll see you tomorrow, Cas."

"Yes, 'til then. And thank you again, Dean," Cas said as he walked Dean out to the Impala. Dean looked like he was about to say something, but he only offered Cas a parting smile and got into the car. When he was out the gate Cas took a deep breath and went back to the house.

"So… Dean..." he heard just as he was through the door.

"Forget it, Gabe, not gonna happen," Cas said, a little sad that he had to acknowledge that fact one more time.

The older man, not one to easily give up, tried to reason with him. "But you should see-"

"Drop it," Cas cut him off and headed to the barn before anything else could be said on the matter.  
  


* * *

 

Dean arrived at his parents and turned off the ignition just to sigh in defeat. He made his intentions known and Cas made no notion to accept them. It was quite obvious there was no interest in him from the other man, not that he was surprised. He sighed again as he took the pastry Gabriel gave him and made his way towards the house.

"I'm here! Sorry if I'm late!" he shouted towards the living room, but when he turned around he was almost cornered by Sarah, who was wearing a knowing grin.

"So... Cas..." she started, and Dean couldn't stop an exasperated groan from escaping him. She wasn’t going to let this slide easily.

"Hello, darling."

He saw his mother coming to the rescue and smiled at her, at least until he saw her smiling slyly as well.

"So, I hear you met someone nice," Mary prodded.

Dean glared at that pregnant traitor in front of him. _“This is gonna be a long night,”_ he thought to himself upon entering the dining room where he spotted Sam, who Dean could immediately tell was trying very hard to keep his comments to himself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh, shit. Sorry, it seems to be a simple chit-chat, but apparently they were in a mood for that. I don't even know where it came from. And sorry the chapters are getting longer and longer, but the boys can't seem to shut up.
> 
> But don't worry my lovelies, soon... I'm already writing a smutty chapter.
> 
> And you can guess Anna nom de plume, if you want, cause it's not really that complicated.
> 
> I got the idea for wine rack from the Internet. It's Corona wine rack


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hyhyhy

Dean woke up the next morning strangely energized. So maybe he was being a chickenshit yesterday and didn’t ask Cas out, but at least he learned how truly awesome the other man was. It also turned out that he was way out of Dean's league, but that was another story. Cas might not be interested in his flirting attempts but he didn't mind friendly banter, and, who knows, sometimes friendships morphed into something more serious. _“Way to go, Winchester. Now you sound like some bat-shit crazy stalker, and it's not even 9 am yet!”_ he congratulated himself sarcastically.

The family dinner the previous night had been a difficult ordeal, just as he expected, and he was exhausted upon arriving home. What made things worse was that Ben was there, and though his family members were mostly cryptically teasing him, he was uneasy about the information the boy could gather from their banter. Ben was far from stupid and Dean dreaded how he was going to react to the fact that Dean was experienced in more than one flavor of love.

Oh, God... Were you even supposed to talk to a twelve-year-old about stuff like that? Or was that considered child abuse? Could Lisa report him somewhere? Would she allow Dean to see Ben if she knew he swung both ways? No, wait… She knew that already. But would Ben like to see him again after learning that about his surrogate father?

“ _Breathe, Winchester,”_ Dean ordered himself again. _“Cas didn't even bat an eye at you, he didn't return any of your winks, he was only being polite.”_ Ok, so that particular thought didn't exactly help to improve his mood from spiraling down.

He went through the same routine as the day before, minus the yelling at the Winchester Headquarters, which was a slight improvement from the day before. So after he dropped Ben off, but not before he was brought up to speed on the family tree project—AKA Ben and Mary's Secret Missions to the Attic—he said his goodbyes and drove the car towards the Novaks’ place.

* * *

 

Forty minutes later Dean found himself standing in front of Cas' house pressing the doorbell for the umpteenth time. He was sure Cas would be waiting for him since the driveway was empty when he arrived, which meant Gabe had already taken off. He moved to press the bell one more time when he heard a car parking next to his Baby; it was a really posh piece, and Dean's mouth almost watered at the sight. He observed an equally posh man stepping out of it and moving to the back to retrieve his bag. He then moved towards Dean, a smile gracing his lips, and Dean would say the guy looked like a too smug bastard if it wasn't for the honest smile that reached his eyes.

"Can I help you?" the man asked with some sort of British accent.

"I was supposed to meet Castiel Novak here," Dean answered, pointing towards the door, "but I don’t think anybody’s home."

The man smiled again and reached into his pocket. "Well, let's just see about that, shall we?" he mussed, retrieving a key.

Dean felt a little bit uneasy at the other guy's posture. It screamed confidence, like he was suppose to be here, and Dean felt the need to explain himself to the other man for some reason.

"I'm Dean," he said while the other man was walking up to the porch, keys dangling in his hand. "Me and Castiel Novak are working on a project, and I'm his ride."

"Oh, are you now?" The little sly smiles Dean kept receiving were becoming lightly irritating. Who was this guy to act like he owned the place?

"I'm Balthazar," the man offered. "I'm sure we're going to find out he's taking a shower and he's forgotten about the whole world, ‘cause that's just Cassie for you."

Dean insides clenched. How was that guy supposed to know what Cas was like? And why was he so familiar with him? _“And what's with the keys,”_ he wondered while Balthazar opened the door and motioned for Dean to come in as well.

"Cassie, darling, I'm home!" Balthazar shouted towards the stairs. "I think I was right." He smiled as he turned to Dean, who was looking really pale right now. "I'm gonna go to leave my things upstairs, and I'll tell Cas you're waiting for him. In the meantime, make yourself at home." He winked at the taller man and went upstairs.

Dean felt lightheaded as he grabbed the kitchen counter for balance. The worst scenarios flooded his mind. Of course, it all made so much more sense now, and though Dean had called it yesterday it still stung like a bitch. Now he understood all the frowning and almost-angry looks Cas gave him when he was being flirtatious the day before... Dean was hitting on an already taken man, which meant he made a complete ass of himself.

As he was mentally head-desking himself, because a facepalm was not enough at that point, he saw a full platter lying on the counter with a note stuck to it, and Dean moved to read it just to think of something else for a short moment.

_Good to have you back, Balthy,_

_I made you a homecoming Spotted Dick so you wouldn't miss England too much. Enjoy its flavor exploding in your mouth._

_PS. Don't let Cas drive you too hard._

_Lord of Pies_

Well, that was super helpful for his current state of mind. Ok, new approach. Cas might not be available to him—the bitter thought made Dean's chest heavy with despair—but he didn't want to lose the opportunity at a friendship. He couldn't imagine going back to his life BC (Before Cas), so he would take whatever he could out of it, even if it meant being stuck in the friend zone forever. At least he could monitor Cas' welfare that way, and make sure Balthazar wouldn't turn out to be a spotted dick himself.

 

* * *

 

While Dean was downstairs hyperventilating, Cas was basically hurled out of the bathroom. He spent a lot of time in the shower today, but it was because he had to prepare himself for another day in Dean's company. Today he’d dreamt about the man again, thrusting hard inside him, and Cas woke up in the middle of a very powerful orgasm. The idea made his stomach clench, and he felt dirty since he didn't have the right to think of Dean that way—that right belonged to someone else and he was abusing their trust—so he dragged himself out of bed and to the bathroom.

When he stepped under the shower he started replaying yesterday's events. He remembered the pieces that the Winchesters’ home was filled with, and he imagined how Dean would caress the furniture while checking for dents and putting the finishing touches on it. That thought immediately shifted to the vision of himself being soothed by those hands on his body, and with a grunt he switched the water to cold because there was no way he was going to do what he would like to now, not if he wanted to have any dignity left.

He was standing under too cold water when someone suddenly burst into the bathroom.

"Balth?" Cas asked after peeking from behind the glass doors.

"Yup. Nice to see you too, Cassie. Now move your ass ‘cause there's some wet-dream material waiting for you downstairs"

"Dean!" Cas exclaimed before realizing he stepped into that trap. "I mean, I didn't expect anyone else."

"Yeah, yeah. Save it, lover-boy." His cousin gave him a shit-eating grin. "The bathroom is probably the coldest place in the entire house. What? Dear Dean too precious for you to jerk off to him?" Balth asked, attempting to sound innocent even though that was a totally foreign concept to him.

"Drop it, Balth. He's married." Cas made that clear for the thousandth time, except now he had a witness to this statement.

"Happily?"

"Balthazar!" Cas was moving towards his bedroom, his cousin almost on his back. "Don't even go there," he warned.

"Me? What were you doing in the shower, cousin dearest?" the Brit asked with a cheeky smile.

"What most normal people, which doesn't include you nor Gabe, do–showering!" Cas snapped as he was retrieving clothes from the drawer. Why must they insist on encouraging him in his Dean crush when all Cas wanted was to distance himself from that thought?

"Oh, come on, he looked like a chap picking his date up at their parents' house. So nervous and adorable." Balthazar was lounging casually on Cas' bed. "Now, go work your charm on your pretty boy."

With a parting glare directed at his cousin, Cas left the room, toweling his hair one last time.

* * *

 

Dean looked up upon hearing the voice, and there was Cas, running down the stairs—and, damn, did that wet hair look good. It was even darker than usual, and extra mussed. _“Which is probably part from the shower and part from that British dude's hands,”_ Dean thought bitterly.

"Nah, I'm good. But maybe you want to take a rain-check, spend some more time with...Balthazar?" he added, totally against his will.

Cas shot him a curious look. Did Dean not want to meet with him today. "No, I'm ok. He's gonna be here for a while...unless you have other plans..." he faltered at that last part.

"No..." Dean thought of a flirty comeback but stopped himself at the last second. "Let's go then. Can't wait to see you work your magic." He offered a small smile and, with that, both men left the house.

The drive to the shop was mainly uneventful, but it gave them a little time to exchange their opinions on the most important subjects. So it turned out that Cas was a freak who liked Timothy Dalton best out of all Bond's, and Dean drew an outraged shriek out of Cas upon admitting he preferred Lethal Weapon IV to I.

"Jet Lee and Joe Pesci, dude. Flicks with Pesci always tops one without him, it's like a basic law of physics."

"So, by your logic, Goodfellas is a better gangster movie than The Untouchables?"

"You shut your mouth when you're talking about The Untouchables!" Dean almost choked from indignation. "It's the exception that only proves the rule!" Now there was finger flailing involved just to emphasize his point. "And it's the flick that has all the other flicks underneath."

Both men couldn't keep straight faces anymore and they laughed in unison. "Aaah, man. I'm telling you, I would love to meet Eliot Ness in real life. That dude had to be a real badass."

They continued this exchange all the way to the shop. Dean was in a great mood until he stood in front of his life’s work, which he was normally really proud of, but this time he couldn't help but feel a little bit ashamed he was going to show Cas something so modest and mundane.

He took a deep breath, and as they entered the shop he prepared himself for the indulgent smile Cas had to be sporting while comparing Dean's stories about the place to reality; that's why he got shivers when he looked at his companion. Those expressive eyes were taking everything in with curiosity, and an almost awe-like smile graced his lips.

Cas instantly loved the place. The first step he made into the shop he was embraced by a smell that, since their first meeting, he learned to associate with Dean. It was the scent of heated wood that someone just worked on; it was tinged with a hint of leather and something metallic, and Cas wanted to roll in it. Hopefully his shirt would be soaked with it by the end of the day so he could take the scent home with him. _“And just how pathetic are you right now, Castiel?”_ the raven-haired man thought to himself.

"Wow, Dean, this is really something!" he managed to say, and he could tell the other man noticed the honesty in his voice because the look that was directed towards him was that of a 10-year-old who had just found a puppy under their Christmas Tree rather than a grown man showing his place of employment.

"Thanks, Cas. It's not much, but it's mine," Dean said, and his voice sounded somewhat lighter than it had a moment before. "Come on, meet the poor SOBs that are stuck here with me."

He motioned for the smaller man to follow him and they crossed the main workshop and entered the significantly smaller backroom that seemed to be the work office. There were two small desks, a few chairs, and a beaten-down sofa in the room. There was a man sitting behind the desk, typing something furiously into the computer, with a red-headed woman standing behind him and pointing at the screen. There were also two other men and a beautiful woman lounging on the sofa.

"Well, it's nice to know you all work so very hard," Dean noted sarcastically as they made no move to look even slightly busy.

"We do, mon frère," said the man behind the laptop. "Pam here is making new designs and I'm putting them into our computer base.”

"So you won't harass me with the same dumbass questions over and over." The woman sitting on a couch, apparently Pam, straightened herself and took in the pair of newcomers.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. Cas, I want you to meet my crew." Dean turned towards the other man. "That creep is my genius cousin, Ash. He doesn't work here, just saves our asses every once in a while and helps Charlie with the computer stuff."

Cas nodded in his direction and the man with a mullet gave him a theatrical bow.

"And the pushy lady there is our head designer, Pamela Barnes."

The woman winked seductively at Cas.

"Ok, Pam," came his slightly strained voice from behind Cas. "Don't _you_ harass Cas. We actually want the guy to come back here." Dean moved his attention towards the sofa. "These hard workers here are Benny and Rufus, our carpenters, and that's Charlie."

The red-head behind Ash gave him a Star Trek greeting that caused Cas to smile.

"She's in charge of supplies **,** sales, and is generally our contact with the outside world." Dean then threw an arm around Cas and delicately pushed him forwards. "And this is Castiel Novak. He's a prodigy art renovator who apparently lives to beautify the world," Dean introduced.

With someone else those words could sound offensive, but Dean sounded so enthusiastic Cas was far from being angry—especially with the strong shoulder that was pressed to his back and providing warmth and comfort.

Cas gave the crew a small smile and tried to retreat. Dean had to feel his slight discomfort because he tightened his grip slightly and added to the crew, "He's gonna help with the nursery furniture, so if you holiday-makers would like to get back to your job, I won't hold it against you."

"Relax, brotha," Benny said. "We're ahead on most of our projects," he assured him, his eyes closed and his head leaned back on the sofa.

"Yeah, boy," the older man, Rufus, chimed in. "We were asked for our professional opinion so they can write their fancy-ass designing program. Cool your jets and let us work here." He basically shooed Dean out of the room, Cas following suit.

"They're not bad, don't let the first impression mislead you," Dean said as they were walking through the huge workshop towards the opposite corner of the room.

"My first impression is that I like them a lot. You all seem so comfortable with each other. It must be nice to work together."

"Yeah. They're all a pain in my ass, but you know how it is. Ash is my cousin, Benny and I have been best buddies since that freak show you call high school, and Rufus is friends with my dad so I’ve known him my whole life. Charlie and Pam are also around pretty often too. Charlie went to school with my cousin Jo, and Pam is Sarah's best friend. So we're on each other's case like twenty-four-seven." Dean whined, but in reality he was very pleased he got to see a circle of his close friends on daily basis.

When they reached the corner Cas looked at a highchair and a chest of drawers that were definitely a set together with the crib that was currently in Cas' barn-turned-workshop.

"Ok, Poindexter, so what are you gonna do with these two?" Dean asked, really curious about Cas' ideas. He had a glimpse of how the painter's mind worked already, and he was nothing but humbled to have the opportunity to work together; no wonder Cas was a renowned renovator that posh men were throwing themselves at. Dean really started to feel out of place with his simple solutions and practical ideas that were lacking any finesse.

He shook himself out of his thoughts just to catch Cas', "...so I was thinking we could use the accents to bring out the pieces you've made."

"Why would you want to do that?" Dean asked incredulously.

Cas was wearing an _'are you freaking kidding me'_ expression. "Dean, you do realize your work is stunning, right?"

It was Dean's turn to wear the expression.

"Dean..." Cas continued, sounding exasperated, "your furniture is unique. It exudes warmth and comfort, and pieces like that are what makes a living area a true home. Each is special, but it's easy to see how you put a little of your heart in every one of your pieces. They're what's gonna create a peaceful and safe atmosphere in that nursery, so don't ever sell yourself short, Dean. I don't wanna hear you doubting yourself again."

"Ok. Thanks, Cas. But it's you who's artsy and makes beautiful things, and I don't even like Picasso ‘cause I don't get why he couldn't paint stuff normal way—and I know he was able to." Now Dean started mumbling, an attempt to cover the furious blush that was spreading on his cheeks, and it really didn't help that Cas was smiling like Dean was the most precious thing on the planet.

"I'm not particularly fond of Picasso myself, so I won't fight you on this one," Cas admitted.

"Really? I thought you'd have a deep understanding of the cubist movement or gush over some Pollock on a wall," Dean mused, because that was what Sarah and Sam sometimes do when they go on their nerd trips.

"I do understand cubists, but I'm more of a turner enthusiast myself."

"It suits you," Dean admitted.

"What about you?"

"Don't know. Don't really know much about art, but I really like looking at Dutch painters. It's not even about the subject, more about their pallet and color saturation... I can't even tell, I just like it."

"I know, like Vermeer. It suits you," Cas replied with a smile. And it did. And now Castiel understood a little bit more about Dean and he knew what to do about their design.

So Cas continued to run Dean through his plans as they started to work on the highchair, and they were halfway through when the others started to stir up and leave.

"So, Cas, maybe we should call it for today..." Dean offered while he stretched a little bit. The movement wasn't lost on Cas, who followed the toned body's exercises.

"Sounds fine. We still have some time to finish it."

"Come on, I'll take you home."

When they sat in the car Dean checked his watch for the first time in a while.

"Ah, crap, it's later than I thought. You mind if we take a little detour?" he asked while turning the ignition on.

"Not at all, but if it's inconvenient I could call Gabe or Balth to take me back."

"Hey, no need, I'd be happy to." What? Dean was going to squeeze as much quality time from Cas as he possibly could; this Balth dude could have him later. "I just need to drop by my parents’ place. Anyways, we're there already, so you're attempts are futile." He grinned as he moved out of the car. "Come on." Dean leaned slightly to peer at Cas through the windshield.

"No, it's ok. I’ll just wait here. I don't want to impose."

"Come on, man." Dean motioned for Cas to join him "You're gonna meet my family," he told him. "And Ben!" he added after a moment.

"Who's Ben?" Cas asked curiously as the other man opened the door.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mwahahahaha! (But please like me still)
> 
> Reviews are highly appreciated.


	7. Chapter 7

Cas' family life was always one on the calmer side. Ok, as much as it's possible when someone has Gabe for a brother, but they lived in a rather big house so there was always a place away from any squabble. And living with three published authors who were usually sitting somewhere in the corner writing never caused a lot of noise. There were also zones in the house, places preferred by a particular family member. For example, Cas had a barn basically for himself. It was an old building that came with the house where he spent a lot of time since early childhood. It was only natural that later he decided to move all of his art supplies there and turn it into his own workshop. It was nice and he could open the door in a way so one entire wall would be gone. It was good for work since he could adjust the amount of light he needed, but it also gave him an easy access to and a good view of the main porch of the house and kitchen windows so he could chat with both Anna and Gabriel.

Gabe's domain was obviously the kitchen and pantry that went with it. He would spend countless hours there, and during the last overhaul he financed all of the redecoration of those rooms so it would suit him more. Gabe loved to cook and he didn't mind feeding the family members, sometimes even preparing a different dish for everyone.

During the warmer seasons Anna was the one monopolizing the right corner of the porch. Their porch was quite spacious: on the left side there was a set of wicker chairs and a coffee table that Anna hated, and on the other side there was a swing, a comfy armchair and another table. It was a place that Cas' sister did most of here writing at, retreating to their spacious attic when colder weather struck.

Cas particularly liked this time with his siblings in view, chatting during work, asking for others' opinions and offering support to one another.

Gabe also had good intel on their parents, their mother usually occupying space between the kitchen and living room near the bay window and their father hogging the sofa and eating table in said room. That was the reason for another big table in the kitchen now. There was a time Chuck worked in their library that was the third room on the first floor, but with all members of the Novak family being avid readers he had to surrender his rights to the room or commit quadruple manslaughter on the disturbing forces that wandered to the room just "to get a book and be off." So the library was basically a no man's land now.

That's how Cas was used to functioning, his family members in close proximity to each other but everyone doing their thing. That seemed a little different than how the Winchesters functioned.

The moment they'd entered the house he could hear voices booming from more than one location. Dean moved towards the kitchen and they entered the spacious room where four women and three men were siting at the kitchen table and playing poker.

"Hey, guys," Dean greeted.

The blonde woman, who Cas assumed was Mary Winchester, got up and moved toward them. Cas' trained eyes could pick up on the resemblance between Dean and Mary since, though Dean's posture was muscular and strong, he had slightly feminine features. Now Cas could tell he got them from Mary.

"Hey, sweetheart. You came to pick Ben up?" she asked, her eyes focusing on the man behind her son.

"Yup, high time that little dude got some peace and quiet. I could hear you guys from the driveway." Dean grinned at the company

"Oh, don't give me that, boy. Blame it on your cousins in the next room," a man wearing a cap grumbled. "Now, why don't you show us how well you were brought up and introduce us to your friend?"

"Oh, my bad." Dean backed out a little to show Cas to the room. "That's Castiel Novak, the artist Sarah somehow managed to bribe to do the nursery."

Cas didn't miss the knowing looks everyone exchanged.

"Cas, this is my Mom, Mary, and the guy so enthralled with the cards is my dad, John Winchester. The one with all the poker chips, who's gonna leave everyone in nothing but socks, is my aunt Ellen–you've met her step-son, Ash—and next is my other aunt, Kate. The grumpy oldie there is our family friend Bobby Singer and his wife Jody, and you met Rufus earlier."

"Hello, nice to meet you. I apologize for my intrusion, but..." Cas started, feeling the need to explain himself.

"Don't be ridiculous, boy," John assured him. "We're glad to finally meet you. We've been hearing a lot about you, first from Sarah and now Dean can't seem to shut up," the older man said, smiling at how flustered his son was getting.

Cas saw the way Dean blushed a little, and he couldn't help feeling the same way.

"Thank you, Mr. Winchester. I really enjoy working with your son, he's very talented."

The statement caused Dean to blush even more and for John to smile proudly.

"Oh, yeah. Accept _his_ compliment, you stubborn, old bastard. When I tell you the boy knows his stuff you just snort," Rufus complained to his companions.

"Like I'd trust the judgment of someone who favors Stones to ACDC."

The others at the table just rolled their eyes.

"That only proves my earlier point, you haven't matured since the seventies," the woman, Kate, teased John. "By the way, Mr. Novak, how do you deal with Zeppelin blasting from the car? Ready to pierce your eardrums with a fork?"

"Please, it's Castiel. And I'm a fan myself. Granted, I'm more of a Kashmir than a Ramble On person, but I can deal." He offered Dean a small smile.

"Well, you'll have to with Dean here monopolizing his ancient cassette player," Jody warned.

"Actually, if I remember correctly, I chose that tape the last time we were driving, so Dean was the one stuck with the music of my preference." He was surprised by the effect the words had on everyone sitting at the table, but when he mulled over what he said he came up empty. There was nothing wrong with the statement, so he was rather curious as to why the group started looking at him like he was the Holy Grail.

"Music of your own choosing, huh?" the question Bobby asked was directed at Cas, but he was looking straight at Dean. He also kicked the chair opposite of him and invited Cas to sit on it. "Do you wanna play with us, boy?" the older man asked the painter.

"Sorry, guys," Dean chimed in, panicking a little. If his family members spilled about their earlier conversations Cas might learn about his pathetic crush on him. "Not tonight. I still have to drive Ben and Cas home. Maybe another night?" _“_ _Possibly when I could get through it without the fear of being publicly ridiculed for my hopeless infatuation,”_ he added to himself. He looked at Cas for support. "Besides," he added when the commotion in the next room got even louder than before. "I think there's a fight going on in there, and I wouldn't wanna miss it."

"Yes, thank you for the invitation, but I don't want to keep Dean longer than necessary. Maybe I could take you up on that some other time." Cas said his goodbyes to the gathering and followed Dean to the living room where he was greeted with an even more interesting sight.

There were three young people and one teenage boy. The boy and a young blonde woman were sitting on a couch in front of a coffee table with some cardboard lying on it. There was also a young man standing in the middle of the room and holding someone in a headlock. That someone seemed to be Ash, if the mullet was anything to go by, and Cas caught him saying:

"...and that's the reason Adam sleeps on futons and has a floor bed at his place," he yelled through the constant litany of 'shut up, dude' from the assaulting man while the young boy and the girl were laughing at them and scribbling something on the cardboard.

"What are you guys doing?" Dean interrupted the squabble as he entered the room, Cas following behind.

"Hey, Dean," the woman on the couch said. "Ben is gathering embarrassing family stories for your family tree."

"Oh, how is it going, buddy?" Dean asked the boy, but before he moved towards the sofa he pointed at Cas' direction. "Guys, meet Cas Novak. He's working with me on Sarah's project. Cas, meet my irritating baby cousins. You've met Ash, that's his step-sister, Jo—Ellen's daughter—and that's Kate's son, Adam–the baby of the family," Dean introduced them and threw Adam a shit-eating grin.

"Yeah, dude, the baby that can easily kick your lazy, aging ass," Adam grinned and turned towards Cas. "Nice to meet you, man."

"Please, kid," Dean scowled at the younger man. "Just ‘cause you've managed it with Ash's scrawny ass doesn't mean you have anything on me. Why are you trying to strangle him anyways?"

"Ben is working on your side of the family tree and he asked us for some dirt on each other," Jo offered as an explanation.

"No, I didn't," said the boy sitting on the couch. "I only asked for some information I can add next to your photo, and you just went with embarrassing." Ben pouted a little bit. "My friend Jesse is almost finished with his tree and his cousins gave him information about their education, work and hobbies. And all I've got so far," he sighed looking through his notes, "is that you can't feed beans to Sam, Ash's second name is supposedly 'Dr. Badass', Jo has a collection of combat knives, and Adam is afraid to look under the bed."

"Oh, so that's why you were strangling him?" Dean asked as if the whole ordeal finally made sense.

"Don't forget Dean's addicted to 'Happy Ending,'" Jo provided helpfully from the couch, grinning at her cousin.

Cas cleared his throat at the news. "Is that another of Gabe's inventions?" he asked in order to ground himself a little bit at the amount of information.

"Dude, don't you eat any of his stuff? It's like a vanilla pudding, and when you're done with it there's a happy face made out of vanilla sticks and two cloves at the bottom." And then he added as he turned to Ben. "You ready, buddy? Your Mom is waiting for you."

Ben only nodded, gathered his stuff, and went to say his goodbyes to everyone.

"So, is he another of your cousins?" Cas asked, not sure what sort of family ties Dean had to the boy.

"Nah, man. It's a little complicated," he said as he smiled sheepishly at the man. "Me and his mother, Lisa, were together for three years when Ben was younger, and even though we broke up a long time ago I get to help a little, and recently I learned Ben likes me enough to wish to put me in a paternal bracket of his tree."

Cas’ heart clenched a little bit, another reminder Dean had a full family already and didn't need him in his life. "Well, he must more than like you to give you that title. That's nice."

Dean just nodded and when Ben reappeared in the doorway both men moved towards the door. Already in the car, the boy fumbled a little with his belongings and a piece of cardboard that held the project.

"So, Ben," Dean started, putting the key into the ignition, "how's the project going along?"

"It's fine, but I’m having problems with the composition. I want it to look even, but your family is bigger than Mom's and I don't know how to adjust it."

"Maybe I could help you," Cas offered.

"Yeah, Cas is really talented and maybe the two of you could find a way to make it look presentable."

At that Ben offered Cas a small, shy smile and handed him the board.

Cas studied it for few minutes, assessing the connections and calculating possibilities. He felt the car coming to a halt and the others looking at him.

"We're at Ben's place," Dean explained.

"Ok, this will be quick. I can see what you're going for, Ben. It's a nice idea, and I think it could work, but I don't understand the way you've established the connections. I can see there's an empty place next to your mom's bracket, and I'm assuming you're keeping it empty for a future partner maybe?" The nod from the boy was enough for a response. "So why is there an empty place next to Dean's bracket and no direct link to Sarah?" he asked.

"Well," Ben answered shyly, "I thought I would keep it open for Dean's partner as well, and Sarah's connection to Dean is through Sam."

Cas looked at Dean with some unexplainable shocked expression.

Oh, right, he never met Sam. So Dean decided to explain.

"You haven't met Sam yet. He's my younger brother, Sarah's husband. You know, the Moose from the pictures at their house?" Dean decided that by remembering the face Cas would make the connection. That's why he was puzzled when the other man looked at him in even more shock, his liquid eyes flooding with all sets of emotion.

"Ok, Ben. I think we would have to draw Cas a diagram, but maybe some other time. Gonna get you tomorrow, ok, buddy?"

"Sure, Dean. Thanks for your help Mr. Novak," Ben said as he exited the car.

Dean observed him until the boy disappeared inside the house. When he looked at Cas again his mouth went dry at the passionate look that was directed his way.

"Cas, are you ok?" he asked with concern.

"Yes... No... I thought, you and Sarah..."

"Are married?! Dude, no! Never! She's like a sister to me, and now the image is ingrained in my brain. Thank you!" he offered, sure Cas had a right to be surprised, but why was he so phased by that information? And then it hit him. Cas thought Dean was flirting with him while being married to someone else. No wonder why he sometimes looked so angry and bothered. And now he felt the need to explain himself.

"No, man, you got it all wrong. I'm single, and Sarah is my sister-in-law. I gave them the crib as a baby present, and Sam was working so I took her to your place the first time we met. And I liked you instantly so that's why I flirted with you, but I promise I'm not the kind of person to cheat on or seduce someone else's partner. That's why I backed off when I realized you and Balthazar-" he was cut of by a low grown from the other man.

Cas was sifting through Dean's speech, going through all the signs he got the past few days. He was right about Dean flirting with him, but he wasn't already taken like Cas originally thought, and the man just admitted to liking Cas and flirting with him. But...

"What? Baltazar and I?" Cas asked with huge eyes.

Dean looked down, embarrassed. Great, he just _had_ to admit to Cas about his crush, and now it would be weird between them and Cas won't probably wouldn’t want to hang out with him after the nursery was done and it was all his fault.

"I thought you were single. That's why I flirted with you then, but the moment I realized you were with Balthazar I backed off, I swear. And then I got to know you better and you're awesome, so I just wanted for us to hang out sometimes maybe, I swear I..." he was frantically trying to explain himself, feeling like a total jackass.

Cas felt like he should say something as well. He knew words. He knew he knew words just a few moments ago. Words like "hot" and "irrefutably"—he even knew how to use them. Just...not...right now. Dean liked him. And he was single. And he wanted to ask him out. So right now he opted for grabbing the other man and flattening himself on both seats and dragging Dean on top of him.

Dean was cut short in his speech by strong hands wrapping around his neck and warm, delicious lips pressing against his own. He let Cas drag him on top of him, their bodies aligning perfectly.

Cas kissed him like his life depended on it, finally opening his mouth and deepening the kiss. Dean opened up too, his own tongue curling and licking inside Castiel's mouth. While the man below was getting lightheaded from the taste that was so purely Dean, he let the other man take control of the kiss, moving his mouth slowly and sensually against his. And then Cas remembered one important detail.

"Dean," he said against the other man's lips, "Balth is my cousin and-" that seemed to be enough as Dean's hold on Cas got tighter and the man moaned into his mouth and resumed their kissing with much more fervor.

"Cas,” Dean finally mumbled between the kisses because he was here kissing Cas, and Cas was kissing back, and he felt like he was on the top of the world. 'Do...' kiss '...you maybe...' kiss '...wanna go out sometime. Like maybe tonight?'

"Gladly. But not tonight." Cas tightened his hold on the other man's neck as he felt him retreating. "Tonight I'm fucking someone," he finished and emphasized his point with a roll of his hips. "Someone I’ve wanted since the first time we met."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy now?
> 
> Just so you know, I'm holding smut hostage. Leave comments and if it satisfy me it will be released. If not, well, there are so many cock-blockers in Novak Winchester families I can make these two suffer from the biggest case of blue balls in creation.


	8. Chapter 8

Dean's brain simply short-circuited at those words. If he'd considered shy and calm Cas too hot for words, horny and possessing Cas wad going to be the death of him. Even though he was pinning the painter down and his hands were roaming over that delicious, lean body, Cas was calling the shots. If he decided to end the kiss Dean would follow. Granted, he would probably have to be admitted soon after because he wasn't sure how he could function without having this in his life, but he would follow.

Well, luck had to be on his side this evening because Cas had no intention of stopping. He finally got to feel Dean's hands on him, and it was even better than he imagined. His imagination couldn't provide the little imperfections that made it feel more real, like how calloused Dean's hands were from labor—from handling tools and wood pieces. But on the other hand how gentle his touch was. In Cas' imagination Dean always manhandled Cas to a position he preferred instead of cradling him gently like he was doing now.

"I’ll hold you to that," the man above him finally managed to verbalize.

Cas almost forgot what was promised. Almost. He wasn't sure if Dean would go for it. After all, he was what could be seen as an alpha male and they sometimes have trouble with relinquishing power, and Cas had more than few experiences where his lovers lost interest at Cas' passionate and audacious attitude when it came to sex. Because of his usual demeanor his potential partners were put off, even turned off, more than once by his forwardness in bed. Cas figured they were mostly looking for some consenting body to pound into the mattress, not even considering the other way around. But seeing how Dean only seemed more eager at Cas' words made the knot in his stomach uncurl just the slightest bit just as something else below curled toward his belly.

They were kissing in this position for a while now, never changing the pace, the gestures intimate instead of tentative, nothing like first ones.

"Dean," Cas mumbled from around a mouthful of skin he was sucking on, "we have to come up with some course of action ‘cause I'm not above trading blow-jobs right here."

"Hot and ready to go. Just the way Dean likes them," came an unexpected, amused voice from above their heads.

Dean wouldn't say he shrieked at that, but in that particular moment he was too aroused to come up with a more manly and sexy synonym so he'd have to settle. He moved over to his seat as quickly as possible, glaring at the woman who was leaning over the rolled down passenger side window with a shit-eating grin. Oh, Dean would get her for this stunt! _“Just wait ‘til Ben wants a tattoo, then I’ll rat her out about the little ink she got once when she was drunk,”_ he mussed spitefully while he and Cas tried to look a little bit more dignified.

"I hate to come up as the bitchy ex who spoils your fun but don't you think there are better places to make good on your offer than in front of my son's bedroom windows?" she asked, although her voice was devoid of any malice or anger and tinged with a hint of a smile when she focused on the blushing passenger. "Hi, I'm Lisa by the way."

"Hello, I'm Castiel," he offered shyly, too mortified to look at the woman. "Please, accept my apologies. I didn't mean to be this inappropriate and-"

"Hey, I get it. And if Dean can't score in this car, he simply can't score. This ride is a magnet and, well, the guy has to work with what God gave him anyways." She grinned at the man she was talking about, clearly enjoying pushing his buttons.

Dean only sat there making a mental list of all the stories he could provide Ben with for his project. Ben was really mature and could decide if they were PG-rated himself.

"Ok," Dean glared at his ex-girlfriend, "we're gonna clear out. Jeez, don't get your panties in a twist," he sighed exasperatedly.

"Thanks. You boys have a nice evening. It was nice meeting you, Castiel." She winked at them and turned to walk back to the house.

Cas only nodded before Lisa turned back as if she remembered something.

"And, Dean..."

Dean glanced up at the woman again.

"I'm gonna take Ben tomorrow, so don't worry about that," she said with a knowing smile.

“ _Ok, so supportive exes aren’t always that bad,”_ Dean thought as he crossed out The Pineapple Incident from the stories he was going to tell Ben about.

After Lisa disappeared into the house Dean turned towards Cas, who was still looking down and inspecting his palms on his lap.

"So, do you wanna go to my place?" he asked hesitantly, not really sure how to get through the initial awkwardness and not making a complete jackass out of himself in the process.

Cas fixed him with an intense gaze as if trying to read his mind.

"We don't have to do anything, but we could just talk or hang out. Seriously, Cas, whatever you would be comfortable with..." He was spared his verbal diarrhea by a hand covering his own.

"I would like that very much, Dean. Either to talk or to resume our previous activities. I really liked doing this with you."

Dean grinned like an idiot at that, but he didn't have to care as Cas' expression matched his, and he turned the ignition on. "So, I've gotta ask." And Dean hated that he needed to ask since he felt like a freaking girl for it, but he had to brace himself for what he should expect. "Is this a one time thing for you, Cas?"

"Do you want it to be?"

"I meant what I said earlier. I’ve wanted you since the first time I met you, and then, ‘cause of this whole mess, I actually got to know you, which was kinda awesome, and I think we could be great together. So maybe you could consider this—us—being something more permanent?"

It's a good thing that Dean was used to residing in Denialville, South Avoidance, because he doesn't have to give up his manly card no matter how girly he sounds.

The relieved smile he got in return was almost enough of an answer. "I'm glad you see it that way," Cas answered simply, relaxing against the passenger seat. After learning a little bit about Dean these past two days he wanted nothing more than to study this amazing man for the rest of his life. He already thought of himself as being in love with Dean, but he wouldn't say it out loud of course, not after such a short period of time.

  
  


The drive to his house didn't take long and soon he was parking in his driveway, which, to Cas' absolute joy, was not the same as Sarah's driveway. Dean quickly shot him a cheerful smile as he was getting out of the car and moving towards the house, only stopping for Cas to do the same.

The man quickly caught up with him and fell into step alongside Dean, the man's shoulder brushing his own every few steps.

As soon as they were through the front door Dean launched himself at Castiel, his confidence boosted by the reaction in his libido, and he kissed the other man with renewed vigor. He started to feel less self conscious as Cas was clearly enjoying his ministrations, that and the fact he’d admitted that he liked the idea of Dean as more than just a fuck buddy.

He felt Castiel's hand rake across his back, traveling upwards and into his short hair. An unexpected tug made him moan and he thrust forward slightly, pinning Cas to the wall with his whole body. Dean moved, taking his hands off Cas' shoulders and putting them on the back of his thighs. Cas seemed to catch up with Dean's idea because he jumped and his legs wound up around Dean's waist as Dean held onto him, grinding into Cas and pinning him against the door.

Their lips crashed together in mad passion, Cas moaning when Dean pulled at his hair and moved his lips down to suck at his neck.

Dean tore his mouth away from Cas and growled in his ear, "Bedroom, now."

Cas just nodded in agreement, emphasizing it with a roll of his hips.

Dean's thoughts were all Cas–the way his strong muscled legs had a death grip around him, the way his hot skin felt against his own. He took a step backwards and turned towards the bedroom, not wanting to detach Cas from himself. But when Cas grinded his hips up on Dean one more time his legs gave out and they went tumbling onto the floor. There was a few seconds of silence before they both burst into a fit of laughter. This evening obviously had something against big romantic gestures and fairy tale… Well, _adult_ fairly tale, plots.

"What? Your stamina not as good in your thirties as in your twenties?" Cas teased when his laughing subsided.

"Oh, baby, my stamina is gonna be your new best friend," Dean bit back, trying to contain his laughter, still lying on top of Castiel. "Besides, your not as delicate of a flower as you would think, so don't judge," he murmured and nuzzled behind Cas' ear.

"Whatever. It seems one has to endure elaborate social and equilibristic tasks before one can be fucked around here." He took the opportunity and peeled off Dean's shirt, running his hands down the naked, toned torso.

"Oh, you're so on." Dean repaid him by sneaking his hand between them and unbuckling Cas' belt. "Get naked and get ready, ‘cause I'm gonna ruin you for the rest of humanity."

"Promises, promises..." Cas hummed in amusement as Dean grabbed him and hauled into a standing position... Well, leaning, but still, the point was they made progress—and a beeline towards the bedroom.

Cas, who followed behind Dean, took the opportunity to shove him on the bed.

Dean instantly turned onto his back, seeming a little shocked but twice as turned on as before.

Castiel paused for a moment, his mouth turned up in a smirk and his eyes positively blazing with wickedness as he nearly tore Deans belt from his trousers. He made quick work on the zipper before he hooked his fingers in the waistband of Dean's jeans and underwear, pulling them down his thighs.

Dean had to kick them off once they got past his knees as Cas became far too preoccupied with running his mouth down Dean's stomach, stopping just above the head of his cock so he could look up through his eyelashes, captivating Dean's gaze before opening his mouth and taking him in.

Dean let his head fall back against the pillow as Cas swirled his tongue around him. He had to grab onto the sheets to stop himself from bucking his hips into Castiel's mouth, but after a moment, when he could feel himself hit the back of Cas' throat, he couldn't believe how amazing it felt. Castiel took his time with Dean, kissing, touching, and letting that say the words he was holding in.

"Cas… Please. I want more. I-" he whined as Cas released him with a pop, his lips even more plump and shining with saliva and pre-cum. Dean just grabbed him by his shirt, quickly pondering how Cas could still be dressed, and kissed him open-mouthed, moaning as he tasted himself on Cas' tongue. When they parted Dean reached for the drawer by the bed, retrieved a new bottle of lube and a condom, and gave them to Cas.

Cas smiled, not a note of his previous shyness there now, and started to take off his clothes too slowly for Dean's liking. He took off his shirt while still straddling Dean, and the man took the opportunity to put his hands on Cas' bare flesh.

Dean brushed over one incredibly sensitive spot on Cas' lower back and the man let out a small cry of want while throwing his head back. Dean took the opportunity and started sucking a hickey on his neck and Castiel started moving, his legs still clad in jeans and giving friction on his bare cock that made Dean whine and thrash.

Cas stood up and peeled his trousers and boxers away then grabbed the lube while Dean moved to lie on the bed, Cas situating himself between the other man's legs.

"Are you gonna make good on your threats any time soon? Or do you want me to just blow my load in your face from your staring?" he asked, meaning to be playful and defuse the intensity of the situation, but the moan that was ripped out of Cas' only made him grab the sheets tighter as his toes curled at the sound. _ _“So Cas is a sucker for dirty talk,_ _ _ _good to know.”_ _ Dean filed that information away for later.

In the meantime , Cas composed himself enough to pour some lube into his open palm. He tried to warm it up before lowering his hands onto Dean. He moved his index finger around the rim and caressed Dean's thigh when a high-pitched sound echoed in the room.

"You ok up there, Winchester?" Cas asked, grinning at the sound. He loved to tease Dean and see the man blush, especially now when he had the right to do so.

Unfortunately for Cas, it appeared two could play at the teasing game as Dean said , "Seriously , man, move or I'm gonna have to impale myself on you."

Dean grinned, and the feral look on Cas' face would scare the shit out of him if it didn't serve to arouse him more.

Cas downright growled and slid the first digit inside without any warning. Dean gave a small howl at the intrusion, which only made Cas squirm in anticipation. He had never seen anything so stunning. Dean was so reactive while Cas was working slicked finger after finger into him. Cas scissored the man open earnestly , not wanting to waste more time. He was so painfully hard that every second of hearing Dean's moans and feeling his body tremble underneath him pushed Cas a little closer to the edge, and if he wasn’t in Dean soon the whole game would be over before it even began .

"C-Cas," Dean stuttered out raggedly.  _ _"_ _ Fuck me, please, just fuck..."

With a groan , Castiel cut him off, removed his fingers and gripped onto Dean's hips, positioning himself and pushing in slowly, gritting his teeth because the heat and the tightness of Dean was just too much for him. He entered one inch, then another, then another; allowing Dean a few seconds to adjust in-between.

"Dean," Cas moaned out. "You're so hot, and tight _ _._ _ "

Dean moaned, grinding down onto Cas and causing the man to make another delicious sound. Even though Dean was lying on his back, about to be pounded through the mattress, he was determined to shake Cas as well. "That's cause you're the first one there, baby," he purred and thrust down on Cas again. It was true; he was always topping when with other men, doing it the other way not even crossing his mind before.

"D-Dean," Cas whimpered then. He fucking whimpered, and he hadn’t even moved yet! He slowly began moving in and out of Dean's tight channel, the friction and the constricting tightness making him groan. Dean did so as well, trying his best to meet Castiel's thrusts, which were slow and deliberate, increasing slightly in pace.

Finally, Cas hit that spot inside Dean, and the man chanted his name like a mantra and arched towards him. "God, Cas, please... Whatever you do...don't stop"

Cas obeyed the command and started slamming faster into the tight body beneath him. Castiel pressed his lips to Dean's and they kissed frantically, tongues moving in and out as their bodies slowly started to lose the rhythm.

Cas reached between their bellies and took Dean's cock in his hands, his lips claiming Dean's one more time. When he fingered the slit of Dean's cock the sensation caused an overload to the man's body. Dean came first with a low groan, spilling onto their stomachs and clenching around Cas almost viciously so the orgasm was nearly ripped out of the other man. Cas made a few more sharp thrusts through their orgasm as they breathed into each other's mouths, bodies too rigid to even kiss properly.

When Cas finally came down from his high he couldn't help but collapse onto Dean. He lazily kissed his chest and shoulders until he felt the green-eyed man start to move beneath him.

Dean pushed Cas onto his back and gently peeled the condom off off him. He moved to throw it out and retrieve a wet cloth from the bathroom. After they cleaned themselves up a little bit Cas looked at Dean shyly and moved to snuggle against his side.

"Hi, again," Dean greeted. "I see you're back to your pre-aroused state." And Dean liked Cas that way, though now he appreciated it even more knowing how passionate the other man could get. Dean couldn't wait for another round. Tomorrow, maybe.

"Yes, I get a little bolder when I'm excited," Cas slurred into Dean's skin, warm breath dancing against the sweaty chest. "I hope it's not gonna be a problem."

"Are you kidding me? We're awesome together, man." He could feel the man smiling against his chest and breathing out contently. Dean's hands wound up in Cas' hair, playing with the strands absentmindedly. "Stay?" Dean requested, still not sure whether they were on the same page here.

"Gladly. For as long as you'll have me."

Dean didn't say anything to that because it was too soon to ask for forever, but any other response seemed insufficient and shallow. Oh, boy, was he screwed.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, the smut sucked that bad, huh?

Dean must have been a freaking centipus, which was like twelve octopi rolled into one, because when Cas woke up the next morning Dean's tentacles were all over him. Now, Cas was far from a morning person, mind you, but he was used to sleeping in an old house with the windows opened, so the current conditions made him too hot to be comfortable, plus he felt like getting up anyways.

For the first time he had the urge to get up before his bed-mate to prepare breakfast. Maybe it had something to do with how Dean gave himself over so completely to Cas last night, no questions asked. Cas felt such a surge of protectiveness at the thought that he went for in search of the kitchen, completely forgetting that the last meal he prepared was when he was 10 years-old, and during Anna's dolls' tea party. It was a sandy cake, which was a cake. Made of sand.

None of that seemed to matter as, upon standing in the kitchen, he defiantly looked at the shelves holding the products. He moved towards the coffee maker and started preparing filters, coffee and cups. He lived his entire life in a house with three writers and a hyperactive pastry chef so he made his fair share of coffee of any kind, so at least that was covered. Now for the actual food.

He checked Dean's fridge and cupboards since he didn't think Dean would mind. He let himself be known to be such a giving person he would probably be offended if Cas didn't feel like he could. So Cas took eggs, water, some flour, and milk, because that's what he'd seen Gabe do. The pastry chef even once tried to teach him how to make crepes, claiming it was even easier than actual pancakes. The simplest recipe was to use one measurement of each product and mix it together, so he added all the ingredients and started whisking it.

Dean had a really nicely stocked kitchen, not that a whisk is the final word in fancy kitchen appliances, but Cas spotted a lot of stuff in the cupboards. The pantry was full of all sorts of jams, sauces and products, and there were even small pots with herbs on the counter.

Cas took in the entire room, still whisking as he did so. It wasn't too big, but it was bright with the big windows one could see the front yard through. The cupboards were heavy and most definitely made by Dean. The kitchen was opened to the main room and Cas wandered around to inspect that as well, never stopping his mixing efforts.

Usually the first thing he did upon entering someone else's house was inspect his surroundings. But yesterday he wouldn't have cared if he was stepping into Versailles, he’d just wanted Dean. So he went on his normal tour today, the bowl never leaving his side.

The living room was obviously meant for family gatherings seeing as there was a massive dinner table under the window wall, and it was similar to the one he saw at the Winchesters' the day before. In the center of the room there were two huge black, leather couches facing one another; these were separated with a low table. There were also two fitting armchairs and sitting pillows scattered on the floor. The other wall was covered by a book case, also a similar sight, but upon closer inspection the book choice was much less varied. Still Cas was jealous and totally wanted one as well. He would check out the books on the shelves if he wasn't growing suspicious of the crepe batter—it was supposed to be less watery by now, so Cas returned to the kitchen to retrace his steps. There’s was no way he mistook an ingredient…right? He eyed the offending liquid in thought.

"That's gotta be right," he muttered under his breath. "One egg, one glass of flour, water and milk."

He was snapped out of his meditative state by two strong hands sneaking around his torso and a warm body pressing against his. "I'd bet my last piece of pie it's water __or_ _ milk, Cas." Warm breath hit the man's ear.

"What?" Cas was too distracted by the fuzzy feeling creeping over his body to register the meaning of the words.

"If you're trying to make crepes, which I think you are, it's one times three; egg, flour, liquid—milk or water," Dean explained, sounding amused. "Not much of a cook, are you?" Not changing his position, and still plastered to Cas' back, Dean reached for eggs and flour. "You used both milk and water?"

Cas simply nodded, too embarrassed to admit his lacking skills, though it was pretty obvious.

"Here, let me show you."

With Dean's lips still pressed behind Cas' ear the painter could feel the words as well as hear them.

Dean grabbed the flour from behind the smaller man and poured one glass of the powder and added one more egg to the bowl. "Now, let's whisk it properly." He mouthed at a piece of skin he could reach and took Cas' hand that was still holding the appliance into his. He made smooth movements, applying gentle pressure as the liquid in the bowl started resembling one for crepes.

Cas totally relaxed against Dean, his body leaning into his, getting over his initial embarrassment. "You wouldn't move a finger in the kitchen either if Gabe was your brother," Cas accused with a slight pout, trying to somewhat explain his handicap.

"Yeah, I probably wouldn't. Luckily for you, my brother is Sammy, whose greatest achievement in the culinary filed is mixing vegetables together," Dean said as he started swaying their bodies a little, making Cas hum with appreciation.

"So, you are quite a skilled cook?" he asked, not bothering to turn his head to look at the man behind him.

"Well, you know, the quickest way to a man's heart is through his stomach. Gonna see how that will work on you." Dean started dropping light kisses on Cas' neck and shoulder, still working on the batter.

"Technically, the quickest way to get to one's heart would be stabbing him in the chest. But, please, don't try that." _“You're halfway there anyways,”_ Cas thought as he felt one of Dean's hands leaving his waist in order to be placed on the left side of his chest.

"Grab the pan," Dean murmured softly in retaliation. Cas did and Dean moved them a little so they were facing the stove now. "Ok, man, pay attention so you can score some boyfriend points for serving breakfast in bed next time. So the secret to making awesome crepes is..."

But Cas was too focused on writing C+D in his mental diary to pay attention to the information about heated pans and stuff like that.  


* * *

 

They were eating while still standing at the counter, reluctantly untangling themselves from each other as the first batch of food had been prepared. Dean took the reigns over the stove and Cas dived into the pantry bringing an armful of different jams, chocolate mousses, peanut butter and other stuff suitable to be the filling with him.

Dean ruled that _that_ kind of food tasted best when eaten instantly after preparation, so they were filling and folding each one just as it left the pan and eating them on the spot. After all, who really needed forks anyway?

"So, what are your plans for today?" Cas asked shyly as he was adding copious amounts of chocolate mousse to the strange mix that was now adorning his soon-to-be-eaten crepe.

Dean looked at him incredulously from his spot next to the stove. "Spending it with you?" he said in a 'duh' tone. "We were supposed to move the furniture to your place today so you can work on the design," Dean reminded him.

"Oh, of course. Could you maybe take me home first? I would like to change into some clean clothes." Cas looked down to where he was wearing unbuckled jeans and a T-shirt from yesterday.

"I will take you home, but you can just borrow some of my stuff. I have some T-shirts dating before the discovery of your brother's shop so they would fit you better," Dean offered so easily it made the other man giddy. Not many of his previous relationships were so eager to make it official.

"Does your family know about you and men?" the painter asked on a more serious note.

"Well, yeah... Not that I ever brought one home..." Dean mused and Cas' face fell a little bit at that. Dean wasn't looking at him, more like at the ceiling, as he was trying to remember something, so he didn't see Cas' crestfallen expression and simply continued "...Not that I brought girls home either."

"You didn't?" Cas asked, unable to sound unfazed.

"No, I've only brought two now that I think about it." He looked at Cas and smiled. “My first girlfriend, Cassie–back in high school, and Lisa, so it's not a lot."

Cas couldn't ask about himself. It was too early and maybe Dean wouldn't even want to go there.

"But, hey, we've almost covered that."

"We have?"

"Sure, Sarah knew I liked you the first time she saw us together, and she ratted me out, of course." Dean laughed lightly. It was easy now to treat it as a joke, but he was kind of embarrassed she told his family during Monday dinner. He was sure Cas was so out of his league he didn't stand a chance. Well, ok, it was true in Dean's mind, but somehow that beautiful man was willing to give him a chance.

"I don't think my mom ever cared. I mean...she cares, but she doesn't mind the gender more than the type of person I want to be with. And my dad...well, don't get me wrong, he's not gonna be cracking champagne open anytime soon, but he had time to get used to the idea. And now with Sammy reproducing, Dad will fulfill his grandpa wishes. What about yours?"

"Well, Gabe and Anna were always really supportive, my mom will just squeal at how adorable and cute we look, and my Father is utterly indifferent to sexual orientation." Cas hesitated for a moment. "Not that I want to drag you into an introduction to my parents..." he started backing out.

"Cas, relax. We'll talk about it when we get there." Dean studied the other man thoughtfully. "Besides, you've already met most of my family." He laughed at the next thought. "You're just one sasquatch brother short of a full house."

"Oh, right. I haven't met Sam." Cas chuckled. In his mind Dean's little brother was a hero for being married to Sarah.

"Don't worry. You can't hide long. His thirtieth birthday is at the beginning of May, so if not sooner you'll be harassed then."

"Harassed?"

"Oh, man. That dude is like the king of nerds... Well, actually, scratch that. He's more like the princess of nerds with his lush hair, puppy eyes and weight watching. He's gonna talk your ears off about music, art and shows. Seriously, sometimes I think he was switched at birth." He stopped as he was actually pondering the probability. "So if you ever meet a thirty year old handsome bastard with great taste in music and mad manual skills, do the whole cheek swiping/hair pulling routine ‘cause you might’ve stumbled onto my baby brother." He winked at Cas.

"A younger, prettier Dean Winchester? The world would explode," Cas said with mock seriousness. "And don't worry, I'll be vigil. After all, how often you get the chance to switch someone for a newer model?" he said as if that threat had any solid ground. He congratulated himself as Dean set his plate down and crowded Cas against the fridge.

He studied his face for a short time and then grazed his lips against Cas'. The shorter man's breath hitched when he felt Dean exhaling against him, warm puffs of air hitting his lips. "You're operating on the assumption I would let you go so easy..." Dean breathed, still not changing the angle of his head, adding slight strokes of his thumb against Cas' hipbones to his ministration.

"You know, it would be creepy if you weren't so cute," Cas tried and failed to make his voice sound even.

Dean huffed in amusement. "I'm not cute, I'm manly."

Cas already learned to love teasing Dean. "Sorry. Couldn't tell by all the cuddling you were doing earlier."

"I wasn't. I was hugging—manly."

Cas fixed him with a stare.

"And even if I was, I could cuddle the shit out of you in the most manly fashion," Dean said, trailing Cas' jawline with his lips, not really kissing him.

"Mmmm, still think it's cute," Cas insisted half-heartedly while angling his head to give Dean wider access.

Dean fixed him with a sharp gaze, which Cas found hot as fuck, and finally, _finally_ , crushed his lips with Cas'. The attacked man responded in kind, grinding his hips into Dean's. Someone moaned and Cas felt Dean's hands on his thighs just like the previous night, so Cas responded by jumping up and wrapping his legs around Dean's waist. And the fact that Dean was able to support his weight made the other man even harder, not that Cas was going to admit that.

"You think you can do better than yesterday?" Cas asked with a crooked grin as Dean was readying himself.

"Yeah, now I know you play dirty." Dean moved towards the living room, this time prepared for Cas' Hips of Doom. So when the man ground into him full force he swayed just a little bit.

"I'm trying be a gentleman here and wait until I can ravish you on the couch, but if you won't behave that floor is looking mighty cozy as well," he admonished as he was nearing the couch and sitting down, Cas straddling Dean's lap with his legs folded on either side of him.

_“It's a good position,”_ Cas thought as he swayed his hips backwards just to grind them full force into Dean's.

Dean grabbed at the back of Cas' neck and claimed his mouth, tongue licking at the seam of the other's lips. Cas opened without hesitation and Dean could once again taste the man, now mixed with sweet flavors of cherry jams and chocolate. He moved his other hand down under Cas' shirt to caress his perfectly toned torso, teasingly pinching one erect nipple as he did so.

Cas moaned at that, his hips losing the rhythm slightly, their erections gaining perfect friction between Cas' unbuckled jeans and Dean's sweatpants. They ground against each other like horny teenagers, and it didn't take them long enough to earn bragging rights before they were coming in their pants in what was more socially agreed to be a short-comer timespan; not that they could find it in themselves to care.

After their breathing somewhat normalized, Dean motioned for Cas to stand up. "Shower?"

"Gladly."

They were both grinning like idiots when Dean guided them to his bathroom, holding his hand and fingers intertwined.

It would probably be a good day, and it wasn’t even 9 a.m. yet.


	10. Chapter 10

So it was a good thing that Cas actually woke up earlier than planned because, with the time they had spent in the shower, it was already late enough for them to leave the house—not that they had any chance at keeping their relationship a secretive one even if they'd cared to try. Between Cas not spending night at home and Lisa witnessing them testing the Impala's suspension, the jig was pretty much up; it was up and probably stood tall enough for Jack to climb it to reach the giant's lair.

So they decided not to hide it, which would probably ensue a lot more chaos and end in someone assuming Gabriel was Cas and Balthazar's love child or something like that. That's why they made the first big step in untangling the giant web of misunderstandings by introducing Dean to Cas' family. Preferably for Dean, with birth certificates and some hand-held version of their family tree.

"So, who am I'm gonna meet there?" Dean asked as he was driving them to the Novaks' house.

"Gabe will probably be off already, so I guess Balth; my _cousin_ _,_ " Cas emphasized, as if that wasn't abundantly clear already.

"Yeah, yeah. Can we drop it, Mr. I'm-Married-To-My-Sister-In-Law?" Dean teased, still baffled at how anyone could think Sarah could be his wife. It was like thinking Jo would be, and that's just disgusting and wrong.

"What was I supposed to think? You said Winchester!" Cas would defend his brain cells to the very end, especially when Dean could cause them to have a semi-stoke just by flashing that cocky smile of his. "Sarah is a Winchester. It was a perfectly logical assumption, unlike thinking me and Balth could be together."

"Oh yeah? And what's Balthazar’s last name?" Dean retorted.

"Novak," Cas mumbled under his breath. "But from what I understood, he didn't give you his last name." The man stood his ground.

"Oh, no. He just strolled out of his car like he owned the place, opened the door with his keys, called you 'darling', and went upstairs. I'm sorry for not assuming he was your postman."

Cas snorted at that, because how could one be righteously indignant at Dean Winchester?

"Besides," the man continued, "he was the kind of man I could picture you with." He could feel Cas' questioning stare so he elaborated. "You know, posh, probably highly educated, and British."

Cas chuckled, "Dean, British is not a character trait."

"No, then what is it?" He decided to defuse the atmosphere with teasing.

"A state of mind." They both laughed at that. "And you're so wrong."

"About what?"

"The man I would want to be with," Cas stated simply.

"Yeah? So you don't want to be with a successful, sophisticated guy who can understand your artsy references?"

"No. I want to be with a warm, kind and honest man who can understand my artsy references... And it seems that luck is on my side on that," he finished, focusing his gaze on Dean one more time.

Dean didn't know what it was about the man next to him, but Cas made him want to be all those things and more. _“I so need to borrow some art albums from Sarah,”_ he thought as he brought his car to halt in front of Cas' house.

"Ok, so I'll just change quickly and we can go," the man said as he moved to get out of the car.

Dean was right behind him, but he managed to notice two cars standing in the driveway. Before Cas had time to retrieve his house keys the door had swung open to reveal a grinning Gabriel. Dean noticed that grin wasn't really the appropriate word here seeing as Gabe's face was adorned with something that could put Cheshire Cat to shame.

Gabriel’s smile faltered a little when he saw the man his brother was with. "Now, now, baby brother. I thought you said he's married."

Dean could hear the slight disapproval in the man's voice, which made him respect the short man a little more.

"No!" Cas exclaimed. "It was just a slight misunderstanding," he said as he pushed past his brother, dragging Dean along with him.

"What sort of misunderstanding could cause you to assume such a thing?" Balthazar asked as soon as the couple stepped into the kitchen.

Cas, still holding Dean's hand, cast his eyes down and mumbled something unintelligibly.

"Sorry, not that familiar with American slang," Balthazar teased. "Who or what is a marinated dew?"

Cas glared daggers at his cousin. "Dean thought I was married to you," Cas repeated quickly in order to put the whole thing behind them.

There was a short silence followed by a burst of laughter from the two Novaks. "I'm sorry, he thought what?" Balthazar laughed, looking incredulously at Dean.

"What? It wasn't _that_ impossible," Dean said petulantly. "And not married, together. There's a difference," he stated, making a rather lame attempt at defending his case, not that anyone was listening to him at the moment.

"Wait, wait. And what about you?" Gabe glared a little, still not convinced the other man was single.

"Yeah, Cas mistook my pregnant sister-in-law for my wife," he revealed, looking fondly at the blushing man.

"Oh, that's priceless. What are you? Contemporary Shakespearean characters? Romeo and Julian?" Balthazar asked, still giggling. "You should give the rights to the story to Anna—she could do her research from the comfort of her own house."

"Anna is our sister," Cas reminded Dean, dead set on identifying everyone from now on. "I'm going to go upstairs and change. You ok here?" he asked as he pecked Dean on the cheek.

"Sure, don't worry." Dean squeezed his hand in retaliation.

"Ok." Cas moved towards the stairs just to pause and cast a glare to the other Novaks. "And try not to embarrass me too much, assbutts."

Dean followed him with his gaze until Cas disappeared upstairs, only then turning towards his companions. "Assbutts?"

  


When Cas went back downstairs he was greeted with a sight of his new—maybe—boyfriend, his brother, and cousin sitting at the counter, obviously plotting something.

"...so, that's what I would do." Gabriel apparently finished his thought.

"Oh, great, man. I would appreciate it," Dean said then looked up and grinned at Cas. "Gabriel is gonna do the catering at Sammy's birthday party," he boasted, obviously looking for the same enthusiasm in Cas' features.

Cas only groaned. "Are you sure? You want it to be a grown-ups' party, don't you?"

"Oh, don't be a spoilsport, baby brother," Gabriel protested. "I could prepare a fancy-ass party if I wanted to." And then he decided to add, for the sake of full disclosure, "Which I don't. But you're handsome prince over here doesn't seem to mind." He pointed at Dean.

"He's right, Cas. It's Sammy's birthday, so I wanna make it light and funny, and as humiliating for my baby brother as I can." He grinned.

Cas wondered if making their siblings uncomfortable was in all older brothers' DNA, but he couldn't help returning the smile. "Ok, ready to go?" he asked as he put his wallet into his back pocket, a motion that didn't go unnoticed.

"Sure, let's roll." Dean finished his coffee in one gulp and moved towards the door. "Thanks for the coffee, guys."

"No worries, Deano. Here, for the road." He gave Dean a plate filled with long rolls. "Be careful with the filling. It's another Novak' delight that could explode in your mouth." He winked at the taller man and, after watching Dean take the first bite, he added lightly, "See how easy it would be for me to put something in your food? Remember that if you ever think about hurting my baby brother."

"Gabriel!" Cas shouted as Dean made a loud swallowing sound.  


* * *

 

"I'm sorry for Gabe and Balth," Cas said once they were back in the car and heading to Dean's shop. "I want to say they're not always like that, but it would be a big, fat lie."

"Don't worry, man. It will be my turn to be embarrassed when you meet my family. I swear that bunch has it out for me, so don't believe a word they say about me," Dean warned

"Of course, Dean. Why would I? They've only been in your life for the significant part of it and probably are the walking multi-volume encyclopedia of your deepest, darkest secrets."

"That's not reassuring, man."

To be perfectly honest, Cas wasn't that afraid to meet Dean's family as his boyfriend seemed to be. So far they’d turned out to be a nice bunch of people, and now Cas could even understand some of the looks they'd given him the day before. Not even the man's father and his friends, who given their age could be more traditional when it came to Dean's partners, made Cas anxious.

He had to say he dreaded meeting with Lisa the most though. Not only was she Dean's ex, but she also met him when he was a blabbering mess of lust and want and threatening to claim her ex-boyfriend on her lawn.

To ease his nerves a little, he decided to imagine some worse circumstances for their first meeting. He had to admit that the runner up was the image of Lisa flinging herself at Dean, confessing her never-ending love for the man and begging him to leave Cas for the sake of her and Ben, and then the three of them driving off into the sunset together. So, yeah, her smiling slyly at Cas' embarrassment wasn't that bad; he'd take it.

"So, listen." Dean shook him out of his reverie. "As much as I enjoy driving with you, what do you say you work at the shop today? I have a space you could set up in, and all the supplies I think you would need. You could start the project there, and then we could transport the furniture to your workshop in the evening when I'll be dropping you off anyway."

Dean wanted nothing more than to ask Cas to spend another night at his place. He would offer, but Cas didn't take any clothes to change into. Maybe he should make some space in his drawers... Wait, what? He’s known the guy for less than a week, and was kind of trying a relationship that had only been going on for under a day, and he already wanted to move him to his house?

"Unless you have other plans for the evening?" Dean asked lamely, trying to guess where Cas' mind was.

Cas offered him a small smile and apparently decided to save him a little bit. "What? You want me to make another attempt at breakfast?

"Oh, I think we should try for a hat-trick next time. Dinner, breakfast, and lunch. And then repeat it." Dean grinned slyly, shooting a quick glance at Cas.

Cas would happily spend another night at Dean's tonight, but he wanted to make it right and have a chance to get to know the man a little bit more. Now that the awkwardness wasn't as palpable he had an opportunity.

"Tell you what, if you don't have any other plans, we could do that during the weekend. Let's say, Friday after work? We're scheduled to paint the nursery at you're brother's then, aren't we?"

"Yes, we are."

"So, I would like to do it this way. Today we're gonna work at your shop, and then if I'm not finished we'll take the furniture to my place. Tomorrow I'm gonna work on the crib, and on Friday, if you can still retrieve me, I'll take an overnight bag, we'll go to Sam and Sarah's, and then back to your place." Cas wanted to kick himself for making assumptions. "I mean, we could go to mine, but with Gabe and Balthazar I'm not sure it's gonna be as comfortable."

"Nah, man, my place is ok. And I like your plan—it's a good plan," Dean admitted and instantly planned a few unplanned grab-ass sessions in between the ones they were already planning.  


* * *

 

They arrived at the shop around 12, so everyone else was already inside. When they entered the shop they bumped into Pamela, who smiled knowingly at them; freakish mutant psychic.

"Well, look what the cat dragged in. It's Debauched and Debaucheder." She stood in front of them, taking in their appearances, surely looking for any indication they were doing the walk of shame.

"What?" Dean opted for innocence and motioned for Cas to do the same, and it was the first time he was introduced to Cas' head tilt combined with a wide-eyed expression that made even Pam hesitate.

"Oh, give it up. Sarah called, she said Lisa swung by your Mom's to drop Ben off, so we know the whole story." She winked at them and moved towards the canteen.

"You're the Debaucheder one," Dean murmured in Cas' ear.

"What!" Cas shrieked indignantly. "No way!"

"Oh, come on, it was Lisa telling the story," Dean said as he smacked Cas' ass lightly and moved to his station.

"That's not even a word anyway," Cas accused just for the sake of it, and he followed Dean inside.

"So, that's going to be your kingdom, brotha," Benny said as he, Dean, and Rufus finished clearing out the area that was most suitable for Cas—and it was perfect. The amount of light that came through the skylight, the supplies they'd prepared for him, and the best part? He was only isolated from Dean by a low, separating wall that outlined working stations in the shop. Above that there was a Plexiglas window that could be slid open or closed; it could be used in order to avoid scraps and splinters falling into the neighbor area, especially when the paint was still wet, but for now Cas didn't intent to close it.

"Thanks, guys. You didn't have to go through all this trouble. I'm only gonna be here one day, so..."

"It's ok, boy," Rufus chimed in. "Dean is thinking about adding a painter to the crew anyway, so see if it's a comfortable working area and if it meets all your needs. It's good enough for carpentry, but I can't tell about painting."

"Dean wants to employ painters?" That was new information for Castiel.

"Yeah. You know, to decorate and make ornamental details. People nowadays often want some decorative accents on their furniture, and he wants our business to be able to provide the service in-house rather that send it somewhere else."

"I see. I'd be happy to share my opinion when I test it." Cas smiled and immediately changed his mind about location. It was one thing for him to be able to gawk at Dean, but other people were a whole different story.

"All right, people, lunch time," Ellen said as she stepped into the shop.

"Right, Burger Wednesday!" Dean exclaimed happily.

"You've just got here, you slob," Charlie pointed out as she raced to get to the canteen first.

"It's called being a boss. I'm overseeing your work, Red!" Dean shouted back at her. "Come on, Cas. You've gotta try aunt Ellen's burgers. She taught me most of the cooking."

"Yeah, when I was babysitting the kids, Dean would spend his whole time in the Roadhouse kitchen observing and annoying us with his questions." Ellen smiled at them as she removed the food from the containers and onto the plates.

"And now we have a standing order of Wednesday's lunch at hers," Dean explained just to facepalm when he suddenly realized something. "Maaaan, I forgot to tell you Cas is gonna be here." Before Cas could make a calming gesture and decline the invite, Dean added. "That's ok. He can just have half of my burger and fries."

Cas smiled but suddenly felt really uncomfortable. It was caused by the silence in the room. Everyone was looking at Dean, frozen. Then Ellen flashed him a smile he started getting accustomed to recently. "Don't worry, Dean. Sarah told me Castiel could be here today, so I got him covered."

"But thanks for the offer Dean," he smiled at the man as he blushed slightly.

"Oh, Handsome, you have no idea." Pam patted his shoulder a little bit condescendingly.

The dinner and the rest of the work day was a blast for Castiel. He usually worked by himself, so he was a little wary about how he'd manage to work with the office atmosphere, but it was different than he imagined.

He actually made quite the progress finishing with the chair, leaving it at Dean's station for the other man to lacquer it. The chest of drawers would take him longer, but he didn't mind—actually he would make a lot more progress if Dean wouldn't sneak to his rather spacious cubical to steal a kiss or just chat a little bit every now and then. He even half-heartedly scolded Dean for not letting him do his job, but Dean admitted shamelessly that he included the cuddling time into their timetable for today.

Dean was also observing his co-workers, especially Charlie and Pam, like a hawk every time they wandered into their new colleague's working area. After all, he needed to make sure no unrequired stories were revealed.

All in all it was a good day, and after chatting a little with Dean's employees he could tell he was starting to make new friends. And he'd choose the long make-out session in the Impala as a goodbye over the proverbial icing on the cake any day.


	11. Chapter 11

So Dean had that whole 'grocery list' thing going on. It was something he picked up while still living with Lisa and Ben, because it's impossible to live with a four-five-six-year-old and not have chaos ensue without a grocery list. It was the beacon of hope during trips to the shop since it allowed Dean to think that there had to be an end to the quest, and it was marked by crossing out the last item on this week's piece of paper.

And because he was a quite successful, handsome, thirty-something year old business owner, his crazy weekends consisted of grocery shopping on Sundays—but not this week. This week was meant to be spent with Cas, so Dean was going to do something free-spirited and totally outside the box; he was going to do his shopping on Thursday.

_“Wow, I'm really shaking things up,”_ he thought sarcastically and regretted not owning a cat to deliver this line to for better dramatic effect, because his life had reached that point.

When he arrived home on the previous day all he could think about was the upcoming weekend. Cas was going to stay at his place, and Dean was going to make their first adult sleepover awesome. That's why he stayed up late cleaning his place as if the Perfect Housewife was about to make an unscheduled appointment with her freaking white glove, and now he was going through his pantry and fridge to see what he might need. Ok, so at this point Dean was ready to admit he was so far gone on Castiel it wasn't even funny anymore.

It was a good thing he took the week off to finish with the nursery since he might use half of his Thursday for Friday's preparations.

Because it was Thursday it took him only an hour and a half to finish with the shopping, and as he put away the purchased products he realized he missed some stuff. As always, the new list took up a place on the fridge shortly after. The day he manages to buy everything he needs in one go would be the day Sam throws away his hair products.

“ _Speak of the devil,”_ Dean thought when his phone rang and he looked at the caller ID.

"Morning, Sammy," Dean greeted, buzzing with energy.

"It's past noon already. And it's Sam, jerk."

"Bitch. So what's up?"

"I'm just calling to let you know I sent Sarah to visit her father, so you have a green light for painting."

Dean nodded as he rummaged through the fridge for a quick bite. Sarah's father wasn't the biggest Winchester fan, but he was a good man all in all, and he loved his daughter. So Sam scheduled for her to go for an extended weekend to see him and avoid inhaling paint fumes at their house.

"So are you gonna swing by today?"

"No. Today Cas is gonna finish the pieces, and we're gonna paint the room tomorrow."

"Cool. Hey, Dean... Thanks again for doing this."

"Save it. Wouldn't let anyone else do the job."

"Yeah, but still, I'm grateful. So, listen, what do you say we hang out tomorrow? Like old times?"

"Tomorrow?" Dean fidgeted. He was really looking forward to a weekend with Cas, but he didn't want to standup his baby brother for someone he’d only know for a few days—even though it didn't feel like few days in him mind. "Yeah..." he started. "Tomorrow..."

"Oh, give it up, would you?" Sam decided to spare him. "You have plans with Castiel already?”

"Well, yeah, but you're my brother..." Dean still felt a little guilty for giving his brother a coldshoulder.

"Come on, Dean. How many times did I change our plans when I was dating Sarah? It's your turn now. We can hang out any other time. It's cool. Don't sweat it."

"Thanks, Sammy. I just..."

"So, when am I gonna meet this boy-wonder?" Sam asked fondly.

"Well, I was about to talk to you regarding that. I've kinda invited him to your birthday, is that OK?" It only now occurred to Dean that he should have asked his brother first, but he hoped this wouldn't be a problem.

"Yeah, that's great," Sam answered lightly. "So...it's kinda serious with him then?"

"Yeah, I hope so." Dean grinned. God, he really did.

"Good for you, Dean." Sam's tone was warm now, and Dean could tell that rom-com watching part of his brother wanted to talk about it. Luckily the lawyer part always had stuff to do. "OK, well, I'll be working tomorrow. Are you OK with letting yourself in?"

"No problem, man. I hope you're gonna like it."

"Don't doubt that. Talk to you later, alright?"

"Yeah. Bye, Sammy." Dean disconnected the call, but instead of putting the phone away he made another call. It's not like he was desperate to hear his boyfriend's voice. It was a totally professional, work-related call.

"Hello?"

Oh, that voice.

"So, what are you wearin'?" Dean grinned into the receiver.

"Balthazar?" Cas asked mischievously.

"Dude, not funny."

"Oh, it'll never stop being funny," Cas chuckled. "What's going on?"

"Nothing, man. Just wanted to give you a heads up. Gonna be leaving soon, so I'll be at your place in about an hour, OK?"

"Yes, that's perfect. I'm done with the crib so maybe you could bring the truck and we can take it back to the shop? I'll finish the chest of drawers today as well."

"Sounds good. See you soon."  
  


* * *

 

Friday morning found Dean jumping into his truck and driving to get Cas for their last day of work and the beginning of their first weekend together, and Dean hoped it wouldn't be the last one as well.

The now familiar route took less time than usual and before he knew it he was parking his second favorite car in Cas' driveway. He didn't even have to get out of the vehicle as he saw Cas on the porch, his overnight bag in one hand, waving goodbye to someone–probably Balthazar.

"Hey there," Dean grinned as Cas jumped into the car, leaning to share a kiss.

"Hello, Dean," Cas responded after they parted. "So, how are we gonna do it?"

"Well, I don't think there's enough space in here for two grown men, but I'm willing to test that theory," he said with a teasing smirk and was answered with a smack to the head.

"I meant work, Dean—work." Cas glared at his boyfriend, shooing wandering hands off of his waist. "Focus."

Dean moved to sit straight on his side, still laughing as he turned on the ignition and turned the car around.

"We're gonna go straight to Sammy's. I've got the chest of drawers, wanted your help with moving it into the room. And you could use it to compare the design. I'll move the rest when the walls are dried up, so only painting today."

"Good." Cas smiled and relaxed against his seat.

They spent most of the drive making plans for the weekend and talking about random things, and before they knew it they were parking in Sam's driveway and hauling the furniture up to the nursery. Once they got it upstairs they covered it with the tarp and situated it in the middle of the room, for the time being.

"So, we're gonna paint it first and then you'll add the design?" Dean asked as he prepared the brushes.

"No, that won't be necessary. I've talked to Sarah and we decided to put the design as a decal. That way they can change it as the baby grows without having to redecorate the whole room. I've already made the design and sent it to a friend who does that kind of stuff. So only painting today and then we're off."

"Mmm, more time for us. I like it." Dean grinned and move towards his boyfriend, crowding him against the wall.

"Dean," Cas said weakly, "Maybe we should finish it first and then we can go to your place?"

Dean looked at Cas and after a moment and gave him a quick peck on the mouth before backing away.

"Probably better. So, what do you want me to do here?"

* * *

After Cas had shown him how to scrape the paint to prepare the walls for a new layer they worked quickly, and it was just after five p.m. when they put the finishing touches and moved to clean the room.

It looked awesome, and Dean turned to say his praises to the other man.

Cas stood in the middle of the room next to the chest, and he seemed to be appraising their work while absentmindedly putting away the small, unused brushes.

Dean snuck up behind him and grabbed him so Cas would face him.

"Dean?" Cas asked, but he wasn't confused as to what the other man's intentions were.

"What?" Dean asked innocently, pressing Cas up against the furniture. "We're done, and it's awesome, and I just wanted to show my appreciation."

He was set on the task before him and Cas could feel it. Oh, he could feel it very well as Dean pressed his lower body to his.

"Come on, Cas. I've been playing nice all day, even when you were bending over to paint the lower corners, and I've gotta tell you it took enough will power that I could be a considered Jedi now."

"Well, ok, Jedi." Cas was also too tired of denying himself Dean's touch so he snuck one of his hands–the one still holding a small brush–under Dean's shirt. He missed his skin during the week, only working himself up by fantasizing about all the things they were going to do starting today.

"I'm glad you're on board with it." Dean smiled as he tentatively leaned in to kiss Castiel.

"Oh, I am so on board." And just to show how serious he was he delicately brushed against Dean's nipple with the brush. He could feel the nipple hardening as Dean shivered and bucked his hips against his own,

"Dude, that wasn't very sportsmanlike behavior." he protested petulantly, though only gods know why.

"Yeah?" Cas asked with his lips against Dean's. "What are you gonna do about it?"

His only response was a low growl as Dean's hands moved behind his thighs and hoisted him up just to set him on the chest of drawers. It was something that Cas would never grow tired of. He loved when Dean showed his strength by being able to lift a man almost his height, as long as that man was Cas himself of course.

Cas didn’t stop with his ministrations, dragging the small brush against Dean's chest and towards the other nipple, massaging slightly until it stood erect. Dean only managed a groan while pulling the other man closer to him and planting open mouthed kisses across his jaw and down his neck.

Cas mapped Dean's abs with the bristles and slowly moved down while grabbing the belt with his spare hand. It wasn't that simple since their bodies were pressed so tightly together and their movement was restricted. Before he noticed it, Castiel was up on the furniture with his legs wrapped around Dean's waist and he was ducking his head down...

"Dean! Oh my god!" Cas heard to his utter mortification.

That couldn't be the person he thought it was. Well, the other option would be a burglar. _“_ _Oh, please, let it be the burglar._ _”_

"Sammy, relax."

_“_ _No, no such luck,”_ Cas sighed internally. Of course it wasn't someone who came to steal their stuff and beat them unconscious. It just had to be Dean's brother who just caught them rutting against his child's furniture…

"Dean, what do you think you're doing?"

Unlike Cas, the man in question seemed unfazed, just grinning slyly as he moved off of Cas and composed himself.

"What? We wanted to check if the piece is well stabilized and can hold the weight of a baby."

Cas was sure Dean knew his brother better than him, and he was sure about what he was doing-pissing this giant of a man off even more.

"Dean, it's not funny!" Cas hissed and prepared himself for another round of apologizing to another member of the Winchester family.

Sam was glaring at his brother but the same feeling didn't seem to extend to Cas, maybe because he had the decency to look ashamed.

"Could you tell me why were you doing what it looked like you were doing on my baby's furniture? Dude, in a freaking baby room!"

"I get it. You're angry you and Sarah won't be able to christen it."

Sam glared a little more and Cas noticed it was a mastered expression; he probably used it a lot being Dean's brother.

"Can't you keep it in your pants ‘til you get home?" Though there was an exasperated anger showing on the man's face–as if he had to deal with this sort of thing his whole life–he had very kind eyes that showed no malice.

Cas let out a slow, deep, breath in relief, glad that there wouldn't be any violence since Sam's height would easily allow him to stomp the two culprits to death.

"Not with this guy," Dean said as he placed his palm on the small of Cas' back and nudged for him to come forward. "Sammy, meet my boyfriend, Castiel Novak."

Cas' heart has melted a little bit at the proud tone Dean had while saying those words.

"It's nice to finally meet you, Castiel." Sammy's tone became gentler, and he found it was nice and calming, and Cas suspected the bitchy whining was his Younger Brother Voice; Cas could sympathize.

"It's my pleasure. And I'm really sorry for the way we met."

"But not for what we did," Dean chimed in, and now there were two pairs of eyes glaring at him.

"Yeah, I'm sure it's not your fault," Sam told Cas and they both chose to ignore the indignant 'hey' from the third man.

"We're good, as long as you won't call me Sammy like the douchebag that is my brother." Sam smiled at Cas and moved to leave the nursery.

"Oh, would you drop it? There was a tarp over the freaking thing. It's not like we touched it!" Dean shouted in his direction.

"Wow, Dean, you really know how to make a guy feel special," Cas commented since he was also more than familiar with that kind of banter.

To Cas' confusion there was no retaliation. In fact, Dean looked a little ashamed at his words. He moved closer to Cas and nuzzled behind his ear. "Sorry. I'll make it up to you later." He kissed his cheek and stepped away just in time to see Cas smile widely.

"Oh, really?" he asked and hooked his fingers behind Dean's. "And how are you gonna do that?" He tugged slightly at Dean, and the man moved forward and closed the remaining space between them.

"Well," he snaked his arm around Cas' waist. "I was thinking dinner…and then maybe a massage ‘cause all that painting today sure looked uncomfortable. And after that, maybe a bath. I was thinking we could take it together. You know, for environmental reasons."

"If you were doing it for environmental reasons you would take a shower, jackass! And I told you no ass-grabbing in the nursery!" Sam shouted from the corridor.

"Alright, alright. Don't get your panties in a twist, Samantha."

Cas snorted at that because, come on, it had a better ring to it than Gabriela.

"We're leaving, so you can sit here all by yourself if you don't want our company," Dean grumbled while reaching for Cas' hand and moving towards the door.

"I'd prefer to end up on a desert island than with the two of you while you’re in this mood. Go get the sex out of the way so we can have a civilized conversation."

"You go have a civilized conversation with your mane, Samsquatch."

"That doesn't even make sense, Dean."

By the look on his face Cas could tell the younger man was already plotting revenge.

"Whatever, bye."  
  


* * *

 

Upon entering Dean's place the man kissed Cas before moving away. "Thought you might feel like showering first," he explained when met with a surprised gaze followed by a nod.

"Ok, use my master bathroom. You can put your bag in the bedroom. And I laid out some towels for you, so take your time." Dean smiled and kissed Cas once more. "I'm gonna use the guest shower."

Cas nodded again and went upstairs.

Since he'd always shared shower with his sibling it only took him a short time to finish his ablutions. He thought about dressing again but there was a serious doubt in his mind that they were going out tonight, so he opted for a pair of sweats and a t-shirt he usually slept in and went back downstairs. Dean was nowhere to be found but there was a beer and a platter with sandwiches on the table. Cas smiled but decided to wait for Dean.

He laid down on a huge and amazingly comfortable couch and flopped himself onto his stomach. Of course, he must have fallen asleep because the next thing he felt was a pair of strong hands massaging his back.

"Dean," Cas muttered as he felt an addition in the form of Dean's half hard cock, still clad in jeans, pressing against his butt cheeks. Too bad his bones were freaking liquefied, courtesy of the smug bastard himself, so he couldn't get it up even if he cared to. But when Dean's ministration gained a more intimate aspect, his hands roaming the pliant body, Cas wondered if there was a pattern Dean was following, and soon enough he got his answer; Dean was looking for that sensitive spot on Cas' back he discovered during their first night together.

After mapping out and memorizing places that were worth visiting again he gave his undivided attention to that one spot. So obviously it didn't take long before Cas started moaning and thrusting into the couch.

Dean continued exploring his body as he laid on top of Cas, covering him completely with only one hand on the cushion to hold some of Dean's weight. The other still gently stroked Cas–this time his side–as Dean's lips attached themselves to his neck.

"Dean..." he managed weakly, not really sure what more to add.

"You like it?" Dean asked with his lips against Cas' ear. "Tell me."

"Y-Yes."

"You like when someone dominates you? Do you like that I manage to take you apart just with my hands on your back?" Dean grinned as Cas was thrusting his hips back and grinding his ass against his dick. "Would you like me to take you tonight?"

Cas could only manage to nod, his words failing him.

"Turn around for me, baby," Dean said gently, not wanting to force anything.

He slid Cas' sweatpants and boxers down and gave his half-hard cock a few solid strokes as he kissed down his neck to his shoulders.

"You'll tell me if it's too much?" he mouthed against his t-shirt clad torso, his eyes never leaving Cas' face.

The other man just snorted derisively because he couldn't imagine what Dean could do to him that he wouldn't like.

Dean stroked Cas to full attention and then substituted his hand with his mouth, a change that was highly appreciated if Cas' moans were anything to go by.

Dean swirled his tongue against the tip a few time and then swallowed Cas as far as he could before he bobbed his head rhythmically, trying to slide his tongue up against the vein each time as he did so.

Cas was now gripping one of the arms of the sofa with one of his hands, the other holding onto Dean's hair. For a second Dean was afraid Cas was about to fuck his mouth, but it seemed he only needed to hold onto something.

Dean hummed around him in appreciation, which only added to Cas' sensations. He was close, so very close, so when he felt a spit slicked finger gently circling his entrance he came with a shout of the man's name. He didn't even manage to warn Dean, who luckily felt his balls coiling so he could brace himself for Cas' orgasm. What he wasn't prepared for was his voice, completely raw and screaming his name. Dean had to grab his own dick and squeeze it so he wouldn't blow his load in his pants.

After licking Cas clean he propped his chin on that perfect hip and waited for his boyfriend to come down from his high. "Bed? I wanna be inside you. Is that OK?"

Cas could only nod weakly.

Dean was about to change rooms when he heard the doorbell. Both men groaned and Cas slurred something sounding like "rid", and Dean was so on it. He tried to will his erection down a little, and he angrily thought, _“There better be an emergency on the other side of this door.”_

"Surprise, bitch. I'm calling Boys' Night Out!" Sam shouted loudly and waltzed unceremoniously inside, two of their cousins in tow.


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Major smut alert.

Dean was going to kill his brother. Yeah, that was the moment he fully understood Cain and the whole fratricide ordeal. Sammy was going to be dead-meat and his kid would be called a posthumous child **,** which sounded kind of cool actually. Of course there was stuff like fleeing the country and becoming a fugitive afterward, but you know…details.

He was plotting the murder for the better part of the evening. In addition, this upgraded to multiple manslaughter when Adam convinced them they should have a night out together for the old times’ sake.

“ _Like hell,”_ he mused petulantly as he dragged his ass off the couch and the few blocks to the Roadhouse. He was walking behind the group, Cas next to him and trying to convince him that it'd be nice to have the opportunity to get to know the Winchester family better; and they had entire weekend for themselves later so what was bad about few hours less spent horizontally?

Yeah, because Dean would prefer to spend time with his dorky cousins instead of his hot boyfriend that was totally ready for him. What bugged him even more was the fact he kind of enjoyed himself.

When they arrived at The Roadhouse it was still kind of early so it wasn’t that crowded. They all gathered at the bar where Ellen–awesome as she was–refused to serve them on empty stomachs, stuffing them full of fries and burgers before serving beer.

Cas wasn't quite sure regarding the separation of duties among Winchesters, but it seemed that the eldest of the group cared about the wellbeing of the others because the moment they stepped into the bar Dean lost his big brother vibe and became the most petulant child to Ellen.

They actually had plenty of fun until few hours later when one of the patrons in the now crowded bar decided that Cas needed company from someone other than the Winchester clan. When he introduced himself as Nick or Mick or some other ‘ick’ and invited Cas to seat at his table no one had bat an eye at him at first. Cas refused politely and attempted to go back to the topic at hand, but that...ick bastard actually had the nerve to proposition Cas.

"Sorry, but I'm here with someone already." Cas, still the polite angel he was, replied and scooted closer to Dean who threw his arm around his boyfriend and glared at the dick, who seemed to acknowledge Dean's presence for the first time if the way he looked at him was anything to go by.

"Him?" the prick asked with a smirk. "Come on, baby, that guy doesn't even look like he's into guys. He's probably just curious. Doesn't he try to pick up girls when he's with you?"

At this point everybody in the group had become quiet and basically prepared themselves to jump on Dean and pin him to the floor so he wouldn't tear the guy to shreds. He hadn't even called Cas 'baby' yet and now the pet name was tainted, and the guy would be counting his teeth on the floor if his cousins weren't holding him down. Dean would be thankful for that later because if he did that he wouldn't be able to witness the hottest thing in the universe, which is a furious Cas. Well, probably when his fury wasn't directed at Dean because then it might have been the most piss-inducing thing in the universe.

Cas got up really slowly and glared at the guy like he was something one scrapes from the bottom of a shoe. "I couldn't tell. We're usually too busy fucking." And then he grabbed Dean's arm and dragged his grinning ass away from the group and towards the restrooms.

When they stepped into the room Dean quickly crowded Cas against the sink. "That was pretty hot," he mumbled as he licked into the other man's mouth. He pushed Cas through the first opened door and crushed their lips together once more.

"I was just making a point, Dean," Cas managed as Dean's hands wandered in the proximity of his belt buckle.

"Yup, and we're playing along," Dean smirked as Cas' jeans dropped to his knees and he started to work on his own clothing. "I wanna show the bastard I can be as gay as the next guy."

“I don't think we'll manage. It's so tiny!" Castiel complained, scrutinizing the space.

“You know, Cas, that's not the best line to say to a man who just took his pants off."

With that statement Cas was done holding back because Dean, that adorable jerk, had to be taught a lesson. And he would be the one to wipe that smirk off of the bastard's mouth. Preferably with his dick.

Dean, on the other hand, had different plans. As much as he enjoyed sucking Cas off earlier and observing his eyes basically rolling to the back of his head, he was one orgasm behind and he was about correct that injustice. So he spun Cas around and wrapped his hand around his waist and the other around the man’s dick. He pumped him slowly, first to full erection and then grazed his thumb against the slit, which caused the most delicious moan to be ripped out of Cas.

Ok, so Dean really didn't think this through… The need to embrace Cas, to be as close to him as possible, put him in an impasse. With one hand around Cas, and he'd be reluctant to let the man go, and the other pumping his dick–at this point this hand could be well glued to that part of his boyfriend’s anatomy–made Dean one limb short. And his pre-cum leaking, abandoned dick as a proof. He had to be creative, and the two globes of Cas' ass seemed like an antidote for all his worries. So as he kissed the man's neck he slowly slid his aching dick between Cas' cheeks. He could feel him tensing for a while, but another kiss following its predecessor and a slow drag of his teeth against his boyfriend's shoulder blade seemed to relax the man in front of him.

So Dean continued, rhythmically pumping Cas and sliding his own dick against Cas' ass, managing to jab at his balls in the process. The movement didn't go unappreciated as one of Cas' hands rested on the wall and the other reached back, grabbing Dean's ass and grinding harder against him.

Dean was rutting against Cas and he felt the anticipated heat coiling in his stomach, his rhythm becoming erratic if not completely abandoned. Cas was moaning, grinding himself harder and harder and making those delicious, tiny sounds at the back of his throat.

They continued until they heard footsteps that caused Dean to cover Cas' mouth with the less engaged hand and freeze. Of course it was only for a while, because what could be better than Cas biting his lips in an attempt to muffle the noises?

Cas apparently couldn't appreciate the finer things in life as he tried–halfheartedly–to disentangle himself from Dean. He even tried to gross Dean out by licking the palm that was covering his mouth, but come on. What good would that do? Dean simply took the opportunity and slipped two fingers into Cas' mouth just as the mystery person left the room, and at the same time he resumed his hand job.

Dean's grunt filled the room as he was getting closer to release. The orgasm was ripped out of him when Cas suddenly flexed his muscles, making the friction nearly unbearable. Dean came all over his rear but continued to pump the other man.

Cas released his fingers with an obscene pop and Dean used the slickness to circle his hole. When he delicately pushed one digit in, Cas came all over the wall tiles while arching his back like a cat.

They stood there for a while, trying to catch their breath, Cas bracing both hands against the wall with Dean leaning heavily onto his back.

"Dean?" Cas started after a moment, finally managing to even his breathing.

"Hmm? Want me to move?" the other man asked, still motionless.

"Mmm... I think I've done enough socializing with your family for one night. Can we go?"

Dean just smiled into the man's neck and dropped a final kiss there before moving to clean them up a little.

"Can't wait for me?"

"Please, Dean." Cas fixed him with a stare that would be appropriate for a grown-up fed up with obstinate child. "I've already come twice. I need some refractory time," he stated before moving to leave the bathroom.

"Still, it was awesome."

They tried to make themselves more or less presentable, but they were less inconspicuous than planned if the catcalls were anything to go by; Sam almost threw them out, claiming they smelled like sex and calling them sociably useless.  
  


* * *

 

After they had gotten back to the house Dean fixed them some grub and they went upstairs to take a shower. As promised, they stepped in together–for environmental reasons of course–and the cleaning soon became touching, which morphed into groping, which ended up as kissing passionately in the middle of the room.

At this point Cas' limbs might as well have been made of jelly because, as Dean manhandled him onto the bed, he'd only managed to rest on his elbows with his head lying on the pillow.

Dean held onto his hip and started opening him up, a task that–thanks to his earlier ministrations–could be started with two fingers and a little wiggle room.

Cas could feel Dean's knuckles bending inside him and searching for his prostate. When he finally found it and pressed onto it, Cas' whole body shot upwards.

Dean soon added a third finger and continued, alternating between stretching Castiel's hole and rubbing his prostate.

Cas was about to surrender at this point, since all he managed were ragged breaths coming out of his stinging lungs.

"Cas, are you ok?" Dean seemed seriously concerned, but Cas couldn't let him stop.

"I...will be..." he managed between pants, "when you're...inside me."

That was all the encouragement Dean needed. He quickly put his condom on, applied lube generously and slid home in one swift motion. This caused Cas to groan loudly and arch his back in a long bow, impaling himself on Dean even deeper and hooking his ankles around his boyfriend calves to keep himself grounded.

"Cas?" Dean wasn't sure the man hadn't cause himself any damage. He was gritting his teeth and his eyes were shut tight, and he could feel his legs trembling. A ragged 'move' finally made him relax and roll his hips experimentally.

"Fuck yes!" Was the first coherent sentence from Cas, and it did things to Dean. He withdrew slightly and pushed in again. Cas' head fell backwards onto Dean's shoulder, whose hands were placed firmly on the smaller man's torso. It wasn't the best angle, so Dean opted for rocking his hips into Cas instead of pulling out **.** It seemed to have its perks for the other man because, from this angle, Dean's cock was constantly brushing against his prostate.

The pressure was almost overwhelming to Cas, his entire body clenching and shivering. That's why it was no surprise when his legs finally gave out and he fell back against Dean, who wasn't able to hold their weight.

Slowly, ever so slowly, he lowered them both on the bed without dislodging their positions in the process. He laid on his back, legs folded, his feet planted on the mattress, knees bent, ass in the air; the new positions gave him more room to pound into Castiel, who was lying on top of him with his back to Dean's chest.

"Jesus, Cas," Dean managed as he buried himself to the hilt inside Cas.

At this point the man in question was just gaping, his senses too overwhelmed to manage any sort of response. When Dean started to move again–sharp, hard thrusts–Cas threw his arms open to the sides and clutched the pillow, his knuckles becoming white from the force of the grip. His bones felt like they were liquefied and all he could do was lay on top of Dean and try not to lose his mind. If it wasn't for Dean's hand gripping his hip he would surely slide down from the bed.

Cas' head was thrown back, his neck aching from the strain, his dick bouncing on his abdomen, and right next to his ear Dean was groaning loudly from exertion but not faltering. Cas felt like he was about to die, his whole body on fire, every muscle tensed and strained. He was sure that if Dean stopped pounding into him he was going to lose his mind, which seemed as likely to happen if he continued what he was doing.

Finally, it all became too much, but it wasn't caused by the feel of his dick against his abdomen nor the way Dean hit his prostate with striking accuracy in each increasingly desperate thrust. It was more accidental, and it happened the moment Dean moved his other hand to gain better footing and he accidentally slid it against Cas' dick. That small pressure was enough for Cas to come untouched, his vision going white for a moment.

His body went rigid and locked into a semi-bridge, clenching almost viciously against Dean and ripping the orgasm out of him as well. In that moment Dean's legs finally gave out and he flopped onto the bed with Cas still on top.

They were both covered in a sheen layer of sweat, their jaws hanging slack, no one saying a word. Cas was kind of praying for Dean not to move because his whole body was tingling violently and going through the aftershock.

No one said a word or moved until Dean could hear Cas' steady breaths. Only then he moved the smaller man onto the bed and went for a cloth to clean them both. Not having enough energy to do anything more, he wrapped them in blankets and dropped final kiss onto Cas' temple before they drifted off to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't know if I described the last position well enough. I was inspired by a gif at tumblr's http://deancaspornlookalikes.tumblr.com/post/53454314052 - careful it's super explicit.


	13. Chapter 13

The next morning something woke Dean up much earlier than necessary. Upon casual examination, because he wasn't in the mood to get up, he noticed the opened window. Seeing that made him realize it was the cold that woke him, but before he could become righteously outraged the awesomeness of the situation dawned on him; he could cuddle with Castiel, not because he was a cuddle-whore, but to maintain warmth like the manliest men in the wilderness did, and no one could hold it against him.

So he did what any reasonable person in his position would do when facing third degree frostbite caused by Minneapolis April nights **–** he cuddled with Cas. Best remedy ever, if you ask Dean.

"I can practically hear you grinning," came a muffled sound from the adjoining pillow.

"I think I just found the solution to some countries heating problems. We should travel to check it out," he answered, plastering himself to the other man's back

"Not now," Cas almost whined. “We don't want to suffer sleep deprivation, so sleep." He relaxed against Dean's chest and tried to go back to his REM phase, but the bossy fucker behind him decided to distract him with light kisses against his shoulders. All Cas could do was forfeit his beauty sleep and turn to face the manipulative bastard instead.

"You got up sometime during the night, didn't you?" Dean asked, switching his attention to the man's collar bone.

"I wanted to open the window and it seems I stumbled over something." Cas tried to avoid stating the fact that after yesterday's activities his legs felt like they were made of jelly and they were still tingling slightly.

"What I hear you saying, Cas, is that I fucked you so good last night you couldn't walk straight," Dean teased, his signature smirk in place.

"Yeah, you wish." Cas tried sounding offended but all he wanted was to kiss the lights out of the little shit, who seemed to be enjoying himself way too much.

"Well, if that wasn't the case I may correct it today," Dean drawled and pushed his leg between Cas' to give the man something to rut against.

Cas took the opportunity since the other's onslaught and the memories from the previous night didn't help his morning wood situation. Cas would gladly bring Dean to the same state he was left in yesterday, but he was still too fucked out and lazy to move. That's why he was glad Dean had no problems with rolling him on his back again and moving himself to hover over him.

He aligned their hips, once again noticing how perfectly they fit against each other, Cas' dick slotting into Dean's groin **,** their heights and silhouettes complimenting each other, the painter fitting impeccably between Dean's hands that were keeping his weight from crashing into the other's slightly smaller body. He would like to lock Cas like that forever, between the mattress and himself, and when the smaller man looked up at him with complete awe and trust in his eyes Dean was overwhelmed by the surge of possessiveness that was running through his body.

Cas was his…

With that thought he crashed their lips together, trying to convey all his emotions that he couldn't verbalize yet because it was too early and the feelings lacked any sort of logic. So he pushed his feelings back and focused on bringing pleasure to the other man, and maybe that way Cas would stay with him and overlook how far out of Dean's league he was. More guys like the jackass yesterday were bound to come around again, and someone would eventually snatch Castiel from him.

Cas, in the meantime, wound his arms around his boyfriend’s back and placed his palms on Dean's shoulder blades and pushed him down so the man was putting his full body weight on him. Obviously he didn't mind; he welcomed more skin contact. Their bodies were brushing against each other fully now, Dean's hands winding behind Cas' waist, and the feeling of belonging and being protected hit Cas so hard that even though he was lying down his rhythm stuttered for a second and his breath hitched. It was selfish, but he wanted this forever… The feeling of Dean's warm, strong body enveloping him with just the right amount of pressure–giving him room but still being close.

The room was silent, rustling sheets and panting breaths the only thing indicating anyone's presence. Their moves became more erratic and Cas could feel the muscles on Dean's back moving under his palms as the man canted his hips to give them that delicious friction that was too much and made it impossible for them to even kiss, leaving them just to pant into each other's mouths.

They were coming soon and the shouts of each other's names were the first coherent sounds in a while. Dean tried to move to lay next to Cas instead of on top of him, but strong–if not still shaky–hands and a murmured "no" made him change his mind.

Dean took one end of the sheets from their mussed bedding and slid it between them so it could absorb the unpleasant dampness from their stomachs, then he arranged himself more comfortably. He draped his body against Cas', his head laying on the bed above his boyfriend's right shoulder, little puffs of breath tickling Cas’ skin right below his ear.

"Was that shaky enough for you?" Dean murmured the question, for the first time sounding more amazed than snarky.

They stayed like that for few moments, still silent, heads turned towards each other, and noses nearly touching. Cas had his eyes closed, relaxed and sated, Dean watching him through cracked eyelids with a small smile playing on his lips.

"Cas?" he started after a while as he brushed their noses together.

"Yes?"

Dean opened his mouth few times but no words came out, prompting Cas to open his eyes and study the other's expression. He could see the hesitation, his eyes showing vulnerability, though it was only for a split second before he sighed and put his signature smirk on and stated:

"We're disgusting. Shower?"  
  


* * *

 

Cas noticed Dean ran out of OJ. _“It’s no wonder,”_ he thought, remembering the way the Winchesters raided Dean's fridge the night before. He noticed there was a grocery list in progress attached to the door and after a quick search he added OJ, bread, and cheese to the list.

He regretted it in the next second when he realized how much he overstepped his position as a guest in his house. In his mind he totally violated Dean's privacy and felt like he meddled in his boyfriend's personal life. And to think they haven’t even been a couple for even a week!

Cas frantically looked for a way to correct his faux pas. He pondered, quite seriously, the possibility of finding a new piece of paper and replacing it with the current one in order to hide his meddling. After all, it wasn’t like he wasn't skilled enough to easily forge his boyfriend's handwriting after his years of artistic training.

He was seriously starting to look around when he heard footsteps and launched himself to sit in a chair and appear as causal as possible as he sipped his coffee.

"I see you started on our breakfast," Dean said with mocked admonishment, their short dating period already giving him an insight into Cas' cooking skills.

"I thought it would be better if I leave it in your oh so capable hands." Cas looked at him from over the coffee mug, huge eyes brimming with innocence and the perfectly mastered image of helplessness.

God, Sammy's puppy eyes had nothing on that guy. Dean mentally started preparing himself for a lifetime of manipulation and being referred to as 'whipped' because, with that look, Cas could make him do anything.

"So," Dean sighed, admitting defeat and mentally rolling onto his back, "what do you wanna eat?"

"Can I get eggs?" Cas asked, smiling warmly at Dean, although the other man wasn't sure if it wasn't the part of plan to lull him into a false sense of security while compelling him to run errands for him.

"Do you prefer sausage or bacon?"

"Dean", Cas sighed dramatically, "what I'd prefer is for you to stop undressing me with your eyes and use your hands instead."

That answer surprised even him. He was not that kind of person–provocative and flirtatious–but being with Dean gave him the confidence to act more boldly than he’d ever attempted. He was slowly getting addicted to the look the other man was giving him–full of need and adoration like Cas was something precious and to be cherished. He imagined if they existed the gods might feel that way with their worshipers. It made him want to do everything in his power to really deserve that look and not to give Dean any reasons for feeling differently about him. He also wanted to give it back, show the taller man how his opinion of him made him want to be the person Dean saw in him.

But apparently his teasing wasn't as smooth as he hoped for because Dean shot him a miserable, embarrassed look and broke their staring match.

“ _Nice going, Cas,”_ he thought to himself as he moved closer to his man, who was now standing with his back to him and starting on breakfast _“Ten points for previous plan, zero for the execution.”_

"What I meant to say..." he kissed the man's neck and moved to help him, "was that I like the way you look at me. And bacon would be great, thanks."

He breathed deeper as he felt Dean's muscles begin to relax. "Can I help?"

Dean turned his head and flashed him a grin, signaling everything was ok.

"If I ask you to chop onions could you do it without prompting an ambulance ride and blood spatter all over my kitchen?"

"Your faith in me is really encouraging. You should be a teacher." Cas pouted as he determinedly grabbed a huge bread knife that was quickly taken away from him and changed for a smaller, more appropriate one. "And if I did cut myself you could present your mad first-aid skills."

"Don't have any. Only know how to kiss it better."

"If that's your incentive for me to come from it unharmed, it's a pretty poor one."

Dean moved to get eggs and bacon from the fridge when he noticed the expanded grocery list. He grinned even wider and was really proud that Cas felt so comfortable at his house to do something like that. He studied it for a second, added some more stuff, and he couldn't understand why Cas had this deer in a headlights look when he turned around and he smiled at him.  
  


* * *

 

By Sunday afternoon the couple was so sated and fucked out that all they could do was park their asses on a couch in front of the TV.

Dean had learned a lot about Cas during that weekend. He learned that his boyfriend didn't like asparagus, all thanks to the week Gabe had experimented with it. He learned that Cas was definitely not a morning person, so when he tried to encourage morning (though dawn would be a more appropriate term) sex he got kicked in the shins before Cas pinned him down and continued his sleep on top of him. And as much as Dean was growing to love the man he was no delicate flower, so Dean spent the next two hours trying to breathe with a grown-ass man draped over his chest.

Cas also loved action movies, classical music–which Dean could live with (plus some of the pieces were actually quite awesome), and quick showers. Obviously that last one Dean would have to work on because, come on, who didn’t love shower activities?!

They also worked out the best couch configuration, which **–** due to general size and weight ratio–was Dean lying on his back and Cas on top with his back slightly towards the couch. As they spent significant amount of time in that position during Sunday, Dean also learned some not so hot things. For example, Cas’ feet were constantly cold; when he pressed them against Dean for the first time Dean made this high-pitched squeal. After that it turned Cas into a mean, sneaky bastard who constantly poked Dean in an attempt to hear the sound again.

Cas was also addicted to procedural shows. They've been watching all kinds of shitty TV together during the last two days, and that was the general gist. Dean had always hated them, especially the fact they were all more or less the same, but it turned out that Cas weirdly loved them. So Dean, fucking perfect host he was–medals and all–watched a few of them with his boyfriend and still didn't get the appeal. But Cas promised to watch Dr. Sexy with him later so Dean wouldn't whine...much.

His boyfriend was definitely the worst with a show called 'White Collar' since he would watch it and point out all the inaccuracies when it came to forging, painting and sculpting the masterpieces the main character–quite handsome in Dean’s opinion(but obviously blue eyes-dark hair combo will be the preferred one for Dean from here to eternity)–created.

That was the way Sam found them Sunday evening. He came with a peace offering for his mean behavior on Friday, or so he claimed. Dean was convinced that he was fed up with eating takeout since Sarah was still at her father's and there was no one to fix the Moose his grass and lettuce to chew on, and he was about as skilled a cook as Cas. So Dean untangled himself from the tableau vivant he created with Cas on the couch and padded to the kitchen to fix supper for them. He kind of hoped Cas would follow, but the lazy traitor just changed his position to make room for the tower that was his brother to finish the episode.

Thanks to the pieces of conversation that he managed to catch he could tell leaving the two together was a huge mistake when they created the ‘critic lodge’, Cas pointing out how the whole artistic setup was impossible to manage in such a short notice and Sammy shouting 'inadmissible' every few minutes. Dean decided to wait them out and only emerged from the kitchen when he heard the show ending, which meant Dr. Sexy would be starting soon.

The moment he stepped into the living room he realized he acted too late when he noticed the two men engrossed in conversation, which consisted of trading Dean-related stories.

“...and then he made this high-pitched squeal," Cas finished, clearly referring to Dean's earlier reaction to his icy feet.

“Dude!” Dean protested hotly, setting the spaghetti bowl on the table. "It was a manly gasp."

“Oh, come on, Dean." Cas ran a hand down his bicep in an attempt to placate him. "It's ok to have a softer, feminine, side."

I don't have a feminine side," Dean grumbled petulantly as he sat unceremoniously on the couch. “Now shut up, Dr. Sexy is starting."

They ate their supper while laughing and trading stories, and Sammy, as expected, made off as soon as he stuffed himself with half of their meal.

“ _Good riddance,”_ Dean thought as he closed and locked the door to cut themselves off from his family members for their last night together.  
  


* * *

 

"So...what are your plans for the week?" Dean asked as he was driving Cas to his house Monday morning. "You maybe wanna hang out sometime?"

"Actually, I promised Balth I'd go with him to look through some sales," Cas said apologetically, reaching for Dean's hand. "That's why he's here. He retrieves older pieces and after renovation he sells them. I promised him months ago I'd go with him."

"Hey, no worries," Dean replied, flashing a grin to calm the other man. "You can call me when you're not gonna be busy."

"I'd like that," Cas said, wanting to propose another weekend together, but he couldn't invite Dean to his place; seriously, Dean didn't see cock-blocking until he saw Gabe and Balth together. He also didn't want to force Dean to invite him back to his place because he still wasn't sure if Dean had a good time together."

"I'd love to have you over again," Dean said hopefully, though his eyes were fixed on the road. "But I have Ben's little league match this weekend and I promised I'd be there."

Cas understood what Dean was trying to say and couldn't be angry, which was something Dean obviously expected.

"Dean," Cas said calmly, "it's ok." He squeezed the other man's hand to emphasize his point. "You need more time to figure out how to tell Ben you’re dating a man, I understand. There's no rush." He smiled when he saw Dean relaxing a bit.

"Yeah?" the man asked hesitantly.

"Of course. Talk to Lisa and figure it out. I don't mind waiting," Cas finished when Dean parked in his driveway.

"Thanks, Cas. For understanding."

"It's no problem. And thank you for an amazing weekend." The extended gap between Dean parking the car and Cas climbing out of said car was the best proof to that statement. And if Cas' clothes were ruffled more than usual he didn't care.


	14. Chapter 14

After few days it became pretty obvious that they wouldn't be able to see each other for a while. Balthazar dragged Cas halfway across the state for some estate sale and they'd spent a few days hauled in hotels, so the only option left were phone calls; and boy, too bad Balth didn't pick up a  check on that as well:

 

"...I'm telling you, he was so annoying today, I was ready to beat him to death with the fifties pin-up calendar."

* * *

"...and Pam had to make this most ridiculous design. I swear, some of the things people put in their houses."

* * *

"...That's it. The thought of you coming just from my dick. I'm gonna fuck you nice and slow..."

* * *

"...and then Dr. Piccollo told Dr. Sexy he was an ass. An ass! Seriously?"

* * *

"No! I'm living on buffet food and lukewarm coffee so you better feed me next time I see you."

* * *

"I talked to Lisa. She agreed I should tell Ben, so now I just need to figure out how..."

* * *

"I don't know what you told him, but Gabe's been calling me every few hours with new ideas. You know this party is supposed to be for Sam's pleasure not pain, right?"

* * *

"...touch yourself for me, baby. Next time I see you I'm gonna make you scream my name"

* * *

"I can already tell you restoring that chair is gonna give me nightmares. Balthazar better be fucking grateful."

* * *

"Of course, now they're all arguing about who's going camping and who's not and who's gonna bunk with whom. I swear they’re all acting like children."

* * *

"You really should watch it. It's great. We could go watch it together, although I'm not sure if I could keep my hands of you in the dark...”

* * *

"So I talked to Gabe and I'll be picking some stuff up from your house on Saturday morning. I guess I could see you then?"

* * *

"Maybe you should come Friday night. You need a good night fuck."

* * *

 

Cas basically trampled over Gabriel when he heard the car honking. He tried to play it cool, but he hadn't seen Dean in two weeks! First being away with Balthazar, then because of a weekend Dean spent with Ben, and later because both of them were stuck at work.

Cas had learned plenty about Dean thanks to their talks, and he really liked what he learned. He just wished Dean would me more appreciative of himself–could see how amazing he was. That was one of the reasons why he couldn't wait for the weekend, so he could try and make Dean see himself for the man he was.

"Hey, Blue Eyes."

Cas raised one unimpressed brow at him. "No?" asked Dean.

"That reminds me of some of the lamest pick-ups I've experienced." Cas winced at the memory.

"Gonna work on that."

"You do that." The smaller man smiled at his boyfriend and moved in for a kiss.

Cas took Dean's hand and led him through the house to his room with Gabe's,

“Dinner soon, love-birds” behind them.

The moment Cas closed the door Dean was on him, kissing and tugging, and moving towards the bed.

"Let's get to it."

"Wow, talk romantic to me, baby."

"Sorry, Cas, it's just that, besides our little talks, I haven't gotten off in almost two weeks."

"As it should have been." He decided to elaborate under his boyfriend's glare. "All I'm saying is I should be the one in charge of your orgasms," Cas practically growled possessively. And, God, did Dean like it.

When he caught himself thinking about sex during the week he noticed that thinking about someone else's hands on his body, some other lips kissing his… Well, the picture made him a little sick to be honest, and he couldn’t help but wonder what this man had done to him.

"Just so you know, Cas, with great power comes great responsibility." He tried for a joke, even if his voice came out a little strained.

"Mmmm, talk nerdy to me, baby." Before Cas could get to his new, very pleasurable, job they were interrupted by a banging on the door.

"You guys come be my tasters."

"Seriously?" Dean asked the man that was already lying on top of him.

"If you thought those two would make it easy for us you obviously know nothing about them." He sighed into Dean's neck. "It's easier to just roll with it. Besides," he added raising his head to look at the other man, "the sooner we're done with it the sooner we can get back to the good stuff."

Dean had the most hilarious look on his face that said he was torn between sweets and sex. Cas waited for him to figure out that if he moved now he could get both, and obviously the idea popped into his boyfriend's head since, after giving one last squeeze to Cas' hips, he nudged him to get up.

Honestly, though, it really wasn’t the best idea… Apparently the free food came with Gabe talking and, well, he could put Samantha's heart-to-hearts to shame. Dean enjoyed his antics though, only because they were directed mostly at Cas.

"...and that's the reason he hates asparagus," Gabe finished talking, elbows deep in dough for the cake as Balthazar was mixing them another round of drinks.

"Do you think your brother will like my Blowjobs?" Gabe asked out of nowhere.

Dean gaped. Cas glared. Balthazar spit his drink out.

"Gabe, please tell me you're actually talking about attempting to have a secret gay affair with Dean's brother and not trying to introduce a new line of sweets!" Cas yelled. Seriously, even the former would be better than the latter.

"Come on, they would be these long rolls with filling you can suck out of it. How is a man supposed to resist?" he asked, throwing up his flour covered hands in mock despair.

"Gabe, people are gonna start talking and thinking you want trade blowjobs with your customers! That's sick and I won't let you!" Cas argued.

"Oh, what are you gonna do, Cassie? Tell on me to mom and dad?"

"Yes, but not to them."

Dean had lost track of the conversation, but Gabriel seemed really shaken up all of a sudden.

"You wouldn't..."

"Try me." Cas glared at his brother with an unwavering gaze, and Dean couldn’t help wanting to throw himself on the floor and beg to be fucked by this beautiful creature. "They will be at the shop tomorrow, won't they?" Cas continued with his threat, voice even.

"Manipulative bastard…" Gabe sighed and lowered his head in defeat.

"Now, if you don't need our help, Dean and I are going upstairs." Cas got up from the chair and waited for Dean.

"I just need to work out some details for tomorrow with Gabe. See you upstairs?" he said as he kissed Cas, who gave him a calculating look before moving towards the stairs.

“So," Dean started as Cas disappeared, "I was actually thinking you might stick around tomorrow for the party. You know, as Cas’ brother."

He’d thought about it during the week and agreed on it with Sam. Dean didn't think his family would make Cas feel left out, of course, but he didn't want to take any chances. Plus, Cas tended to be shy in public. _“Unlike in private,”_ Dean thought fondly.

"Yeah," Gabe instantly perked up. "I could do that."

Dean, being an older brother himself, felt the need to state, "To have his back, not to add to the stress."

"Fine. But you'll allow me to serve Blowjobs, right?"

"At Sammy's party? Hell yeah!" Dean grinned as they shook on it.

He took the stairs two at the time, in a hurry to get to Cas. He was somehow calmer now that he knew he could count on Gabe to have their backs… Of course, he was ready to take it all back two hours later when every attempt at creating an intimate atmosphere was disrupted by loud eighties disco music coming from downstairs with Gabe singing along to how he was 'touched for the very first time'.  
  


* * *

 

“Dean, whatever you do, don't sass them," Cas warned his boyfriend the next day as they stood in front of Gabe's shop.

“Sass who?" Dean was totally lost.

“Boy, come here and help or I'll smack you with that spoon."

Cas offered Dean one last supportive look before he dragged him into the shop.

Gabriel was already there putting some of his delicious pies into the boxes and adding them to a big pile.

“Dean, these are my chefs–Missouri Moseley and Linda Tran. They help me when I cater."

Dean took in the two very intimidating women and immediately regretted Gabe not having a doormat he could wipe his shoes on to show how well behaved he was.

"How old is your brother, Mr. Winchester? I need to know what should I put on the cake," asked–no, demanded Linda Tran.

"Please, it's Dean. And Sammy just turned thirty," he answered with his most charming smile, which didn't seem to do him any favors.

"Thirty! I thought we were talking about a baby brother! Gabriel said you wanted clowns!" she stated accusingly.

"Oh, I did," Dean answered with an innocent smile that Cas already knew to find suspicious.

"Good, ‘cause that's what you're getting," Missouri said as she moved with the first boxes. "I haven't spent the better part of the evening just so you could change the order."

"Wow, that's a nice way to talk to a client," Dean complained jokingly in an attempt to defuse the glares from two women.

"That's a lot of sass from someone in his thirties who still drives a truck," she said as she dumped more boxes into his arms before turning back and marching to the back room again.

"I drive an IMPALA!" Dean shouted in her direction. "What's her problem?" he asked as he turned to Cas, who dropped a sympathetic kiss on his cheek.

"She likes you," he assured him, honestly glad for that fact. Even though he was convinced Dean was a good man, Missouri had a sort of sixth sense when it came to these things.  
  


* * *

 

By the time they had everything securely packed onto the truck Dean felt like a kindergartener being scolded by a couple of nuns. On the bright side his distress must have looked adorable to his boyfriend, who in order to soothe him stopped a few times for consolatory make-out sessions.

Cas and Dean went in a truck while Gabe, Missouri and Linda followed behind in Gabe's car to put finishing touches on the pastries at Dean's parents’ place.

“I thought it would be at Sam and Sarah's place," Cas commented when he heard the directions Dean gave his brother.

“Normally it would be, and we'd invade Sarah's kitchen and demand to be fed, but the poor girl has enough on her plate with work and the pregnancy. So we'd decided to throw the party for them."

“So no calm supper at the dinner table?" Cas joked, already expecting the answer.

“Oh, god, no. It's like a season-opening party for us before camping and the Fourth of July cookout. It's basically the same crowd all the time. Sammy invited some of the people from his work once, but they were these stuffy lawyers you instantly wanted to punch in the face–which Jo did when one was coming onto her too strong. So no mixed crowd for us."

Cas felt unsure whether it was a good idea for him to stay now. He understood the idea of a family gathering and didn't want to intrude.

“Maybe I should go back with Gabe… We don't have to do this so fast," he muttered quietly from his seat.

Dean didn't understand what he said at first, but when it finally struck him he wanted to punch himself in the face. “No, man, it's not like that. Look, Cas, I want you to meet my family ‘cause, to be honest," he continued, a hint of shyness in his voice, “I want us to be something permanent, and I don't see a point in putting it off for who knows when."

God, he hated that he was putting himself out there like a freaking girl… Thankfully the bitterness of that fact was lessened a bit by the smile he saw on Cas' face.

“Good. I want to meet your family. And I want you to meet mine…" Cas’s voice drifted and he started looking through the passenger window. “Anna and my parents are gonna be back in two weeks..." he provided, hoping Dean would catch on **.**

“Sure, if you want me to." It was awesome, and maybe a little unnerving, that it felt so easy and natural to talk about meeting each other’s families. “Is there a reason they're all coming back?"

“…It's my birthday," Cas answered almost shyly.

The car swerved a little.

“And when were you going to share that little fact?!"

“It didn't seem so important."

“Not so important?! Birthday, man!"

“So why didn't you tell me when yours is then?"

“January twenty-fourth, but that’s not the point. I need time to prepare something awesome."

“You don't need to prepare anything. It won't be anything lavish, just a dinner with my parents, siblings, Balth, Missouri and Linda. I was thinking about inviting some people from the Museum, and maybe Sarah and Sam could come if I don't make a complete jackass out of myself today."

“Now you're talking crazy. They're gonna love you, just like...that."

Cas' focus snapped on Dean immediately, but he didn't have the opportunity to continue with their conversation as Dean parked in front of his parents’ house.

“Don't see many cars. Are we that early?" Missouri asked as she stood next to Dean on the driveway.

“No, we’re on time. Wouldn't expect cars since most of us live in walking distance," Dean explained as he started unloading boxes.

As he entered the house he yelled for his parents. Only his mom was present, his dad doing grocery runs, and Dean quickly introduced his mom to his companions and left to bring the rest of the boxes inside.

“You have a lovely home, Mrs. Winchester. And this kitchen is spectacular," Missouri said as they put everything away into the pantry, leaving only the necessary things out.

“Thank you. Dean built a lot of this as an anniversary present for us."

Missouri shot him a look that showed how sincerely doubtful she was regarding that information, and Dean nearly choked from indignation while Cas chuckled.

"It must be exciting to work with Mr. Novak. Gabriel is very skilled," Mary said thoughtfully.

"Oh, bless this boy. He means well but thinks that a whoopee cushion is the peak of sophisticated humor," Missouri said fondly while looking in the boy’s direction.

People started piling in one by one after that. First was Ellen and Jo, who immediately hit it off with Missouri and Linda much to Dean's terror. They brought the patties, already formed, and started putting them away before Jo dropped a bag of potatoes on a table and demanded that Dean and Cas help her peel them.

Next there was Bobby, Jody and Rufus, the two men bickering like and old married couple. Bobby was quickly delegated for grill duty while Rufus, the unattached lone-wolf, planted his ass on the couch and made no attempt to move. That is until Missouri, who stuck around to help, dragged his ass over to help with the peeling.

Jo was bossing them around, which Dean thought was hilarious. As much he loved the little weasel and the drinks she could make, she could rival Cas at kitchen incompetence. Just as that thought struck Dean he had to wrestle Cas for the knife his otherwise awesome boyfriend was attempting to cut the lettuce with.

"Really, Gabe!" Dean shouted so everyone heard him properly. "You spend hours in the kitchen and can't let Cas in on the big secret to cabbage shredding?"

"What does cabbage have to do with anything?" Cas asked petulantly.

"Just be lucky you're so pretty, Cas," Dean sighed, almost pained. "When we live together I'm gonna give you lessons, ‘cause there's no way I'm cooking for the rest of our lives."

The immediate silence at the table made him retrace his comment and look around sheepishly. "I said _when_...not now."

When Pam arrived with Benny and his wife, Andrea, she went straight to poking fun at Rufus, who was watching Missouri–who was bossing him around for the better part of an hour–with awe. Pam looked like she was about comment on it but quickly shut her mouth under Missouri's stare; Dean thought it was awesome. Sadly, soon enough, Missouri left them against their invitations to stay.

Finally Ash, Charlie, Adam and Kate came around with Sam and Sarah not far behind them. By then people were gathering in small groups and Dean found himself monitoring Cas whenever they were apart. Thankfully he appeared to be having a good time, first catching up with Sarah and then doing shot's with Charlie and Jo–and Cas must have been pretty tough since he didn't seemed fazed by keeping up with those two. Dean also took notice of Gabe's whereabouts, and he could tell the little traitorous bastard was plotting something with Ash and Adam.

At some point later he caught Cas in a discussion with his parents, which was the first time Dean noticed Cas searching for him with his eyes, and he immediately went over to them.

"Dean, good, you've found us. Please, convince Castiel to go camping with us. We need some fresh blood."

"Thank you for the invitation Mr. Winchester," he caught Cas answering just as he reached his boyfriend and put his arm around his waist.

"Call me John. And bring that brother of yours as well," he finished, just as present-time was called by Ash.

Most of the gifts Sam got were strictly baby related. Sam opened each and every one of them and presented it to the gathering.

Cas asked Dean for his car keys and, yet again, he wondered what kind of inside joke was he missing. Just as with the burger and music, everyone went quite when Dean presented them to him without so much as batting an eye. When he returned with his package Sam was putting away the last gift, so the painter stepped in front of him.

"I didn't know what to get you, and Dean was amazingly unhelpful."

"Stick around for few more weeks and you won't be so amazed by that fact," Sam half-joked as he accepted the gift. "Thanks, man. You didn't have to.”

Oh Cas intended to stick around for far longer than a couple of weeks, though all of his mussing on the subject were interrupted when Sam tore the wrapping paper open to show a medium-sized painting.

The whole family gathered closer to admire the image of Sam wrapping his arms around Sarah, who was cradling a bundle of blankets that were wrapped around a baby figure. The whole thing looked like a family picture, even more so because Cas decided to settle the scene inside the nursery he knew so well.

His professional skills were one of the few things he felt really confident about so he was aware that it was a nice piece. He was just really glad that the others seemed to think the same and that he haven't overstepped some boundaries, and the awe-like expression on Sarah and Sam's faces and their constant touching of the surface assured him in his choice.

"Cas, really, thank you."

The couple and everyone else's focus would be discouraging if Dean didn't put his arm around him and kiss his temple. "You're awesome," we whispered just for Cas to hear.

"Ok, enough with that. Can I get some cake now?" Rufus interrupted, the impression the female pastry chef made on him still visible.

"On it!" Gabe shouted as he brought out the catering trolley with a Moose-shaped cake on the top shelf and another one on the lower shelf.

"Dean!" Sam visibly flinched as the second shelf revealed a pastry shaped like a grinning clown, Dean laughing and still holding onto Cas.


	15. Chapter 15

Sam was having an awesome time. Sure, his legs were killing him, he could feel the beginning of a headache, and he would definitely never go shopping with his brother again. But, all things considered, it was still beyond awesome. He hadn't seen Dean so worked up over something since his shop’s opening day. Then he took pity because the jerk at least had a legit reason for a teenage worthy freak out. Now, since the situation wasn't serious in the slightest, he could relax and enjoy his brother's fretting.

Dean had spent every day since Sam's birthday party looking for the perfect gift for his boyfriend. And, again, if it wasn't so funny Sam would be the slightest bit worried due to the fact that Sarah, Jo, Charlie and Pam subsequently forfeited their position as gift adviser during the course of the shopping spree. It was the first time the younger man saw them choosing not to vocalize their opinion on a subject.

The whole thing was just ridiculous if you asked Sam–Cas would be glad with anything Dean got him. He was even willing to put money on the fact that Dean could show up empty-handed at Cas' this weekend and the other man would still be content.

So, yeah, Sam saw no reason to panic. He just decided it was time for an intervention and some common sense when Dean tried to ask Mom for help; brothers don't let brothers give their boyfriends gifts bought by mothers. That and he had to be there to commit this wonderful spectacle to memory for future generations. And, just for the sake of the Winchester name, he would prefer his brother to be able to think straight, which was definitely not happening now.

"How about painting materials?" Dean asked as he turned to enter some male fashion shop called "Favourite Colours".

Sam was snapping pictures like crazy because he knew blackmail material when he saw it. Dean looked so out of place at the posh shop with his worn leather jacket and torn jeans. Then again, Sam wasn't exactly fitting in himself with his plaid shirt.

"You're seriously going? It's a family event, Dean."

"So?" Dean asked as he plunged into the cufflink section.

"So, you've said it yourself, you don't do parents," Sam reminded him, dismissing the shop assistant who was heading their way.

"When did I said that?" Dean moved to another section.

"Twelfth grade, Amanda Heckerling."

"Dude, you think I haven't matured since senior year? Thanks for the vote of confidence, brother. Now make yourself useful and tell me which one of those you think Cas would prefer," Dean asked, presenting two ties that looked exactly the same.

"I don't know. He's your boyfriend. You should know what he likes."

"Yeah, but you know all about this fancy stuff. When was the last time you saw me in a tie?"

Sam had to agree and he was opening his mouth to help his brother when the other man decided to ruin the moment.

"...Whereas you, Samantha, probably rent separate bachelor pads where you can visit your ties and watches."

"That's a nice way to ask for help. I'm gonna let it slide ‘cause you're gonna drive yourself crazy if you keep this up. Why won't you just build something for him like you do for all of us?" Sam asked the question that’s been bugging him since this all started. Dean had been making his own presents for almost two decades now–gifts made strictly for the person–and everybody loved them!

Dean sighed. "I don't want him to think I'm cheap…"

"That's crazy talk. You, like, paid for my birthday party and built me a beautiful nursery."

"I did… But I don't know what to make." Dean put the ties down, shoulders slumped in defeat. "I've only seen him drooling over the bookcase, and it'd take me few months to make one of those." He seemed to ponder over something. "Just tell me which tie."

"This one." Sam pointed at the more cerulean one, not having to guess what caused Dean to pick that one up. "But I'm telling you, handmade gifts are the best."

"Yeah, maybe handprints in paint for Father's Day," the older Winchester mumbled as he walked to the cashier.

The mention of children reminded Sam of his question. "Dean' I'm gonna be a parent soon..." he started.

"Yeah, yeah. I got the memo. You're so freaked it's not even funny anymore."

"Yeah, well, Sarah and I have a load on our plate. We're making some major adjustments–I have a right to be scared."

"You do, but I know you're gonna do great."

“Do you know what I'm most afraid of?" Sam asked hesitantly.

"Clowns?" Dean offered helpfully, pulling his credit card out.

"Shut it, jerk." Sam pushed him a little, ignoring the cashier's look. "No. That I'm gonna be bad at this. I can't screw this up."

"Sammy, you haven't screwed anything up in your life. You're not gonna start now," Dean said simply, his face drained of all humor. "And if so, you have a whole clan to kick your ass into a proper course of action. You think Mom and Dad are gonna let you screw this up?" Dean asked, still completely serious. "Or Ellen or Kate? Or me for that matter?" he continued as they left the shop. "Don't worry, little brother. You've got an entire family to meddle in your parenting."

"I do, don't I?"

"Yeah. Now answer me this. Did I really just spend _that_ amount of money on a tie Cas won't even wear?" he asked, presenting the receipt to his brother.  
  


* * *

 

"You brought me a gift?" Cas asked when he and Dean finally made it to his room after the usual round of greetings with his family. It went pretty well, just as Cas expected–better even since his Mom squealed a little less that he'd foreseen.

"Yeah," Dean answered, but it was done in such a nervous manner that even after their short acquaintance Cas could tell the other man was trying to hide something. "Actually, I brought you three gifts," he said and moved to retrieve the stuff.

"First, I made you a gift. But then I thought it would maybe make me look cheap, like I can't even buy my boyfriend a gift, so I bought something to go with the first gift. But it would require you to use it with the first gift, and I didn't want to force you in case you wouldn't like what I brought. That's why I went and bought the third thing, which is an actual gift, so the first two were kinda just prep." _Dean_ gave a nervous laugh, _scratching his neck_ awkwardly as he did so.

Cas really tried to keep himself from laughing during the whole confession, he really did. And he managed for a while there, but he finally couldn't anymore. "Dean Winchester, you must be the cutest thing ever."

Dean finally looked up. "I am? It's ok if you don't like it," he said as he produced three boxes out of his duffel.

"I'm sure I will." Cas accepted the box from some fancy shop he didn't recognize, though it must have been some real high-end place because Balthazar had basically squeaked when he saw the label earlier; it was probably something with an excessive amount of 'u's in the name.

"Dean..." Cas sighed upon seeing the expensive tie his boyfriend bought.

"You don't like it?"

"I love it, and I could definitely use the tie, but that's really too much." Cas really didn't want to be responsible for Dean living on ramen for the rest of the month.

"Tell you what," Cas wound his arms around Dean's waist and gave him a quick peck on the lips, "if I'm able to make use of the rest of the gifts you brought me, you'll return the tie. Ok?"

Dean shyly peeked at him through his obscenely long lashes. "Ok, but you really have to like it–not just pretend you do."

"Don't worry," Cas kissed him again, "I will be properly disgusted if the presents won't suit me."

"That's what I'm talking about, man," Dean said as Cas unwrapped the other gift.

It was a handmade keychain to which there was a pair of keys attached.

"Dean?"

"Don't freak out. I'm not asking you to move in, I just don't want you to wander around in the rain like a lost puppy anymore.”

* * *

It happened just the previous week during one of those May storms. Cas walked into Dean's shop dripping water from his clothes and shyly asked if he was allowed to wait there for Gabriel to pick him up.

Dean had facepalmed so loudly it echoed all around the shop. Then he packed Cas into the Impala, drove one block to the house, and ushered him into a hot shower with an order to find some dry clothes. He had to return to the shop quickly because he left a job half finished (did he turn off the electric saw?) but not before preparing a mug of tea and a sandwich platter, not that Cas was that incompetent in the kitchen; Dean just liked doing stuff like that for him. He also left a note saying, if Cas wanted him to, Dean would drive him home the next day.

Cas must have liked the idea because Dean found him sleeping on the couch later when he got back. The dark-haired man was dressed in a pair of borrowed sweats and a t-shirt, a look that could only be rivaled by naked Castiel.

Dean once again cursed his too good heart that didn't allow him to wake the man up and ravish him on the couch. Instead he just carried the sleeping man to the bedroom and tucked him in for the night, joining him pretty soon after.

When he woke up Cas was seated on his side of the bed with a sketchbook on his knee and studying Dean thoroughly.

"Whatcha doin’?" Dean mumbled with his cheek still pressed to the pillow, one eye open to look at his boyfriend.

"There's an amazing light play in this room in the mornings, and I’ve wanted to draw you since we met," Cas admitted and lowered his eyes shyly. "I hope you don't mind."

Dean lifted his head to throw some sassy retort, but before he could he saw all the crumbled pieces of paper laying on the bed around Cas.

"What are those?" Dean asked in confusion.

"I couldn't get some parts of your face properly."

"‘Cause I'm too handsome to be tamed by a mere picture?" Dean asked cheekily and crawled on his hands and knees toward his boyfriend.

"Or too much of a freak of nature with your goddamn lashes and freckles," Cas answered fondly, caressing Dean's cheek and studying him up close.

"I'm sorry my unearthly handsomeness bothers you. Would you prefer I was disfigured?"

"You think it's a rhetorical situation?" Cas patted Dean's leg affectionately. "Dean, with the bowlegs, you're already halfway there."

"How dare you! Picked on first thing in the morning. Besides, I don't hear you complaining when they're wrapped around you."

Cas groaned at the memory. "You're right. But seriously, Dean. Would you mind posing for me sometimes?"

Dean made a pose. "You wanna do the whole ‘Titanic rack’ thing?" He wiggled his chest to make a point.

"Don't worry. I'll want to draw you even in a few decades when you're sporting man-boobs," Cas said flippantly, but it warmed Dean a little bit since it was Cas' first slip about them staying together.

"Not gonna happen. Gotta stay in shape for my man."

* * *

Cas didn't do much sketching that morning, but Dean discovered he really loved those slow mornings when he had time to spend with Castiel. Hence the present. The idea was for his boyfriend to feel more comfortable at his place.

"See? Not really a birthday gift, just wanted you to have it."

Cas hugged Dean once again. "I love it. Return the tie, please."

"Ok." Dean leaned in to kiss his boyfriend, but before they could go any further someone–Gabriel–banged on the door.

"Quit doing the dirty, I need Cas downstairs for a minute!"

At that, both men groaned.

"Sammy would be so proud." Dean exhaled. "Do I need to get ready to make a good impression?"

"No." Cas kissed him quickly. "They just got back so they're dealing with missed calls and all that stuff. We're gonna get together tomorrow."

"Good. Gonna get in the shower now so I can give you another present later." Dean smiled smugly.

"You do that. But remember, there's a house full of people."

The moment Cas entered his bedroom after a half-hour long discussion with Gabriel regarding reasons why he didn't want Blowjobs served at his birthday diner, he was greeted with the sight of Dean wrapped only in his towel, lounging near the French window that looked out over the fields behind the house.

"I see you unwrapped my present," Cas teased as he moved close and plastered himself against Dean's back.

"I don't know how you do it here, but I actually undress before a shower." Dean turned to face Cas and put the man's hands around his waist. "So you can say I re-wrapped myself for you. Happy birthday."

"Thank you."

"Guess what?" Dean guided Cas' roaming hands to his ass.

"Hmmm?"

"This gift already came with batteries." He put Cas' finger into his already lubed and loosened hole.

"Oh, god... Dean..." Cas dropped his forehead onto Dean's collarbone as he effortlessly added a second finger.

Dean took the lead in the undressing department, seeing as Cas was unable to tear his limb from Dean's intimate anatomy parts. Dean practically had to shake him to get the shirt out of the way. And just like that, Cas was back in action and leading Dean toward the bed.

"Come on, I want you under me," he growled huskily and started backing up, his fingers still in Dean and using them to pull the other man in his direction.

By the time they were settled into the mattress Cas was three fingers in, opening Dean up while the other man used his lubed hand to jerk and prepare Cas' now hard cock. They both groaned as Cas breached Dean's rim and went all the way inside. He stopped himself so that Dean could get used to the feeling but started a slow rhythm just as the man beneath him began to move his hips.

"So good, Cas." Dean breathed, and he was met with a loud groan. "But you've gotta keep quiet, baby. You don't want to alert the whole house. Don't wanna show them what I let you do to me." Dean kept murmuring into Cas' ear, reveling in the little whines that escaped him. He dug his hand into the man's hair and pressed Cas' face into his neck in order to muffle some of the sounds. Cas was really vocal in bed, and while every little whine and whimper did things to Dean, he didn't want the whole family to have the insight into their sex life.

That didn't mean Dean wasn't going to tease his boyfriend a little and make it harder for him to remain inconspicuous. He knew Cas got more turned on by Dean's shouts but there was another thing, Dean discovered during their first time together, that made Cas lose all inhibitions. Cas was a sucker for dirty talk, and Dean was about to put that knowledge into use.

"You fill my hole so nice, baby," Dean kept panting into Cas' ear. "Make me feel you. I want to feel it tomorrow when we're sitting at the table."

Dean's rant was rewarded with a whimper followed by Cas biting hard into his shoulder in revenge, but Dean was prepared for it.

"That's it... Mark me, Cas..." he heard another whimper, "so that everyone can see what I let you do to me...what I want you do to me, again...and again."

At that Cas took Dean's cock and started jerking it while his thrusts faltered a bit. Dean felt the orgasm coming given he was halfway there before they even started, so he felt he needed to pick up his game.

"That's it. Harder... Next time I want you bareback so I can feel your cum in me." Another bite, this time not in retaliation but to muffle Cas' shouts. Dean was also close, both from the feeling and the image he planted in their heads and Cas' reaction to his words. Before he came he managed to add, "Want your cum leaking out of my hole and dribbling down my thighs." And just like that they were both gone, Dean clenching and pulsating around Cas, who gave few more thrusts through their orgasms.

"Don't think I don't know what you were trying to do there" came a muffled sound from Dean's neck after a while.

"I'm sorry?" Dean chuckled weakly. "Trying? It ain't called trying if you succeed."

"Whatever, don't think I'm gonna let this one go." Cas hoisted himself onto his elbows to take a better look at the other man. "You're gonna pay for that."

"You're gonna punish me for making you come?" Dean snorted. "That's the worst positive reinforcement technique I've ever heard of."

"Or I could reward you–make good on your fantasy if you were serious."

"Well, I'm clean..." Dean said dismissively.

Cas looked between them. "The evidence speaks against that." He pointed to their stomachs. "Shower?"

"I've already taken one. Why did we stay quiet if I have to do the walk of shame?"

"Come on. I'll smuggle you with me," Cas said as he nudged Dean.

"Ok." Dean groaned as he got up. "But don't count on me bending for the soap."

"You asked for it," Cas said playfully, though he shot Dean a concerned look. "Too rough?"

"No, just right." Dean kissed Cas to calm him.

"Good. Now let's go." The dark haired man grabbed his hand, but before going to the door he added. "Now you really have to take the tie back."  
  


* * *

 

"You guys weren't as quiet as you think. It was easy to hear you," Gabe said with a smug smile as the two of them showed up for breakfast the next morning.

Balthazar laughed at that.

"Yeah, especially with your ear pressed against the other side of the door," Anna shot back at him. "Don't pay any attention to those jerks. They're just jealous, and on top of that they possess the maturity of a couple of fourteen-year-olds."

"Thanks, Anna." Cas leaned in to kiss her on the cheek.

Dean offered a small smile. They'd met yesterday but Anna, just as their parents, was freshly off of the road so the meeting was only brief before they started occupying the bathrooms and phones in order to catch up on work.

"No problem. Nice to see you like this," Anna said to Cas, but her eyes flicked to the man behind her brother. "It's been a while."

Cas also looked back at Dean and smiled.

"Oh, we have a Winchester fanclub here I see," Balthazar chimed in after a pause in conversation.

"Jealous much, Balthazar?" Dean asked with a grin as he accepted his coffee.

"Not at all, just curious of what the fuss is about. Maybe you could take your shirt off so I can see for myself." Balthazar leered at Dean from his chair.

A low growl emanated from his dark haired cousin. "Balthazar."

"Don't worry, Cassie. Just looking. You're not afraid of some friendly competition, are you?"

Dean turned to placate Cas a little bit, but the look on his boyfriend's face only made his dick twitch in interest. Possessive Cas was hot as hell, and Dean decided to file the information away for later.

"Ok, put your junk away! Both of you!" Gabe yelled from behind the counter. "I'm gonna lose yesterday's lunch, and I just finished with Cas' Hickeys."

It was Dean's turn to growl.

"Whoa, calm down, big guy. I come bearing gifts." Gabe backed off, showing a bunch of cookies covered in white icing with red icing spots here and there.

"I meant no harm," Balthazar backed off. "I just thought that Dean could help with some chores around the house. And if I think he should do it shirtless just as a tribute to the proud American handyman traditions."

The entire day went like that. Them lounging between the kitchen and living room that, for once, didn't look like Chuck's writing room. Sometime around noon Cas' parents showed up and they all started slow preparations for Cas' birthday diner. Cas was actually quite concerned Dean would be bored since his family events were dull compared to the experience he had at Sam's birthday. The Novak family celebration, in a form of a dinner, may be more extravagant than the usual family evening in the living room. But Dean seemed to have a great time helping Gabe with food preparation, Cas being ushered out of the kitchen since he was the most incompetent one in that particular subject.

He sat on the other side of the counter and was cheered with a few kisses from Dean, but at some point he had to leave and retreat to the barn. It was when his mother decided to sit with him and witnessed the, as she put it, cuteness of the new pairing. At some point they were called an OTP, which gave Cas a sneaking suspicion the next book his mother worked on would feature a homosexual pairing with one man named Jimmy (Cas' middle name) and the other being a cowboy type.

He was quickly summoned from the barn when Missouri and Linda arrived, not wanting to miss any second of how the two women acted towards Dean. They also made a good work of placating his mother's gushing, which made the entire thing less embarrassing.

At the end of the day Cas could tell that Dean figured out how to deal with Missouri, found a common ground with Anna, showed amazing patience towards his mother's romantic views, and managed to drink Gabe and Balth under the table.

"He's fitting in rather nicely, isn't he?" his father asked hesitantly as Cas stood on the porch waving Dean goodbye. He’d insisted he stay but Dean argued that Cas needed alone time with his family after how long they’d been gone.

"He really is, Dad… And I am too."

"Good."

"Yeah, that's really good." Cas smiled to himself.


	16. Chapter 16

"No, Gabe," Dean said sternly when he saw the man with a load of tequila bottles. "Don't even think about it," he warned, though he calmed down when he saw the man's confused expression. "There are gonna be axes, guns, and knives there. Hence the first rule–nothing stronger than beer. Especially since Ben is coming as well."

A flicker of comprehension seeped into the shorter man's features. "Oh... So when you said camping trip, you really meant camping?" he asked, clearly puzzled. "I thought that was just code for drinking in the forest with your buddies."

"No. I mean, we do drink some, but it really is a camping trip. It started with my dad, Bobby and Rufus going hunting–which they still might do tomorrow. They stopped for a while when we were kids since our mothers would forbid them from taking guns when we were there."

"Ok. Wait here, I'm gonna put it back…and re-pack some crap," he muttered and ran toward the house, leaving Dean and Cas leaning by the Impala.

" You know, it's funny," Dean said as he watched Gabriel run.

"Hmmm?" Cas asked, his eyes still scanning the list of chores for the trip that his boyfriend never stopped teasing him about.

"That Gabe’s always the instigator for drinking when he's the one with the weakest stomach."

Dean had discovered that last week when they were celebrating June, and the group of them were accompanied by the Novaks in the Roadhouse. Dean knew the drinking abilities and preferences of his peers well: Sammy wasn't drinking that much since Sarah got pregnant, and he was usually stuck to beer anyway. Adam was always the light drinker, never really liking the taste of alcohol and mostly choosing drinks like Mojitos or Caipirinhas **.** Ash and Pam liked to go all in, usually doing shots until one of them (Ash) started puking his guts out. Benny, since becoming a family man, stuck to beer–which was also Dean's drink of choice lately.

When it came to Novaks things were easily categorized. Anna liked gin and tonic. Balthazar was a top shelf whisky kinda guy, not really managing to get drunk taking the alcohol intake to pissing ratio. And Gabriel, though most vocal about drinking, had the lightest head. He liked that vodka and Red Bull crap that the mere smell of made Dean feel sick. The drink caused Gabe to be an exceedingly irritating ball of energy for the first hour and a half and then had him hugging the toilet for the rest of the night, or doubling over in the bushes when Dean and Cas were dragging him to Dean's place.

And Cas? His Cas was magnificent. It seemed that he was a Black Hole to which all alcohol could be sucked in leaving no sign. He started with some drinking games with Jo and Charlie, both of them calling quits before Cas showed any effects and just switched to beer later. He also shared a few drinks with Balthazar and chugged them as if it was water. Dean was amazed by the guy's endurance. He himself wasn't able to mix drinks since his late twenties, being really careful to stick to one type of alcohol through the night and sometimes still feeling the effects the day after. When Dean demanded some explanation Cas just shrugged and said 'Art school' as if it was the answer to everything.

"Dean," he’d smiled, a little condescendingly for Dean's taste, and elaborated. "In art school most of the students go through the whole bohemianism phase, so I've got years of practice."

Dean had to agree with the man, already experienced in drinking with Sarah and Pam–both able to drink their body weight.

"And frankly", Cas had continued, "when you manage not to die from absinthe, nothing can take you down." Cas smiled and pecked Dean on the cheek. "Do you think Ellen sells absinthe?"

"Dude, you're awesome. Don't ever change."

"Don't intend to."

Though he was already highly impressed with Cas it turned into downright awe the next morning when, out of the three of them, Cas was chipper enough to make them all coffee and sandwiches. Dean had made a mental note to teach his boyfriend the mystery of scrambled eggs right then, because how awesome would it be to be served with those in the morning.

But right now Cas seemed just content with his list of errand executions since he tucked it away and focused on Dean. "Gabe likes to talk big. You know he didn't really orchestrate the prank about an alien abduction nor crocodile in the sewers he likes to brag about?"

"Yeah, I caught onto that when he claimed he got himself employed as a janitor for those pranks."

They stayed quiet for a while after that, Dean only speaking again when they saw Gabe emerging from the house.

"You sure Balth and Anna won't feel left out?"

Cas snorted. "You try suggesting a camping trip to my cousin and he would be offended, and Anna has some work to catch up on."

"Ok, let's do this," Gabe chirped as he pushed past his brother and climbed into the passenger seat.

"Oh no you don't." Dean grabbed his coat to stop the man.

"Why not?" Gabe squawked.

"Sorry, Shorty, but you have to be at least this tall" he said, pointing at Cas, "to ride shotgun"

"You just made that rule to get Cas closer to you," Gabe argued.

"You can't prove that," Dean said as he winked at Cas. "Anyways, my rules. Love 'em, live by 'em, or start walking. See you at the house."

"Fine." Gabriel folded his arms and stomped towards the backseats. "You just keep your hands to yourself or I will switch all your patties for some lovely tofu veggie burgers."

"You wouldn't." It was Dean's turn to look shocked.

"You just give me a reason. Keep in mind I was put in charge of provisions."

Dean tore his hand from Cas' thigh like it was burning him.

Castiel would be slightly offended if he wasn't reveling in the brotherly relationship both men had developed **.** Of course the main part of showing affection between those two was to drive each other mad and prank each other, but for Cas it was as good as it could get. The bitter sting was also alleviated by Dean's apologetic stare directed at him. The man was so adorable and loving despite the whole bad boy look, it sometimes caused Cas a heartache.

They made it to Dean's place with only a few short snarky comments dropped from the backseat, and after moving the equipment onto the truck they decided to call it a night. None of them was an early-riser and they have to become such the next day, so no one dragged his heels.  
  


* * *

 

Early Saturday morning they were piling the last of their camping stuff onto a truck and, in Cas' case, checking it with the list. Again.

"Am I a second class citizen, I ask you?" Gabe whined dramatically from his seat, clutching his heart for better effect. "You're just gonna drop me on someone else's doorstep? Do I at least get a letter promising you'll come back for me?"

"Gabe, only three people can sit here and I promised Lisa I’d take care of Ben," Dean explained. "You'll be fine, man. Obviously, road-trips with Gigantor ain't as fun as with me," he grinned and leaned into Cas' space a little bit, "but there will be Ash, Adam and Jo too. Unfortunately, we're a man down. You remember Andrea, Benny's wife?"

They nodded.

"She's sick and he decided to stay with her. Can't really blame him."

"What about your Dad?" Cas asked with concern.

"He's going with Bobby and Rufus. They're probably already there–Bobby was always dragging our asses out of bed at some ridiculous hour to go camping."

"At least they don't have to drive with you two," Gabe whined, his feet constantly kicking something.

"Where do you get the energy from?" Cas asked, his head leaning on the headrest, eyes closed.

"Oh, come on, Cassie. You have to keep goingno matter the hardship, snow, drizzle or hunger."

"I know. I just make it my mission to avoid redundancy at the wee hours of the day."

Dean thought it prudent not to point out that he wasn't woken up by an alarm clock but by Cas' warm breath against his cock. When Dean's brain had finally caught up and he’d forced his eyes to open he was met with two blue orbs observing him from his groin. He became hard so fast he practically slapped his cock against Cas' chin, but obviously he didn't intend to share that information with Gabe. Brothers shouldn't have the mental images of their brother's sex life–it was common courtesy.

"Finally, you're here. Adam and Ash called, said they're waiting at Ellen's," Sam said, poking his head into the car shortly after they parked in front of the younger Winchester's house.

"And Jo?" Dean inquired.

"Jo's not coming. The women bribed her to join their party."

"Oh, you have plans as well?" Cas asked Sarah as he finally managed to push Gabe out of the window seat and slide himself out of the bench of the truck as well.

"Yes, we're going to the spa, and in the evening in a strip club," Sarah answered.

"Sounds like you have a very pleasant evening planned."

"Next time ditch them and come with us. I'm sure the strippers would be falling over each other just to be able to give you a lap dance."

Dean gripped Cas' waist. "There will be no strippers dancing on Cas' lap. Ever."

"Geez, Dean. I would have thought you could take a little bit of friendly competition."

"Yeah, yeah," Dean mumbled as he returned to dropping Sammy's crap onto the truck. "You remember to bring your hair iron and curl papers with you, Samantha?"

"Dude, those thing are used for entirely different purposes."

"Why would I know that?" Dean asked smugly as he put in the last bag and closed the trailer.

"Asshole," was the last thing he heard as he and Cas climbed back into the car and went to pick Ben up.

It didn't take them a lot of time at Braeden's since Ben was waiting on the porch, still a little sleepy but obviously excited.

The ride went smoothly, both men and the boy stuffing their faces with Lisa's sandwiches ("Make sure he eats breakfast, and I've packed some for both of you."). Dean couldn't believe how the simple meal, or rather the thought behind it, lightened his mood. Lisa obviously didn't had any ill feelings about her ex and his new boyfriend spending time with her son. It was a near perfect ending–staying friends with the ex and having someone who he cared about with him. Plus, from what he understood, Lisa was invited to the girls’ party. Now all he had to do was to tell Ben about Cas.

"Hey, Mr. Novak," Ben turned to Cas, whom he still refused to call by name; Castiel figured he was ok with that if it made the boy feel more comfortable. "I wanted to thank you for your help on my project. Your outlines really made it easier for me."

"It was my pleasure, Ben. When is the project due?"

"I have time ‘til the end of next week. Our teacher will grade it and give it back to us since she thinks it would be nice if every family had something like that to remind them of their ancestors."

"What do you think?"

"I think it's cool. You know Mrs. Winchester's family, the Campbells, were on the Mayflower manifest?"

"I did not know that," Cas admitted as he looked at his boyfriend.

"Do you have a tree, Mr. Novak?"

"No, but given the string of misunderstandings I had with Dean I think I should make one."

"Well, if you need help going through some documents I could assist you. It was great doing that with Mrs. Winchester."

"Maybe you'll become a historian in the future. Unfortunately, I don't think I could be useful to you in that matter. My family is originally from England and all the family documents are there. It was only my father who moved here, my uncle and cousins still live in the UK."

"I didn't know that," Dean chimed in.

"Well, you might be able to meet uncle Julian soon. He and aunt Tessa are coming for the Fourth of July."

Dean just nodded and became quiet, listening to Cas and Ben exchanging family history and talking about Ben's interests on the matter. He just hoped that what he had to admit to the boy wouldn't change that.

Thankfully those thoughts were pushed aside by the usual buzz of camping preparations. As he predicted the first truck got there hours ago, the three older men already managing to pick up a perfect camping site near the river, but not close enough to get their things wet or to accidentally pollute the waters. They were currently preparing hooks and fishing rods and explaining the technique to Ben, who was watching them curiously. The boy, despite the lack of a real father in his life, could never complain about not having some manly time with all the people on Dean's side of family doting on him.

In fact, the man himself and their tent were forgotten by the boy with Rufus showing him how to dig the bait up and properly attach in onto a hook.

"Ben, wanna help me with the tent? Or do you prefer to sleep outside?" Dean yelled petulantly.

"Coming," the boy called back, not even making a move to fulfill the promise.

"Oh, let him be." Cas stood behind him chuckling. "I'm gonna help you if you could help me with mine."

"Where are they?" Dean mussed. "I guess they had to wait on Adam and Ash."

"Yeah, or they killed Gabe along the way and now they're disposing of the body," Cas offered helpfully.

"You clearly haven't spent much time with Ash if you think your brother's behavior would make them commit manslaughter." Dean shook his head. "They're probably stalling and hoping we’ll set their tents up for them. As if. Come on, let's deal with our crap," he said and tugged Cas' hand, dropping it shortly after when he remembered they could have an audience.

"Sorry," he murmured, but Cas just gave him a little smile and shook his head to chase the man's fears away.

They were halfway through setting Cas and Gabriel's tent up when John approached them. "The three of us are going fishing, thought it would be nice to catch our meal. Can we count on you boys to go and gather some brushwood and small branches for the fire?"

Both men nodded their agreement.

"Thanks boys. We got the bigger logs from home since we didn't want to worry about that here, but if you'd find something smaller that would be great."

"Sure, Dad. Hey, Ben, wanna come with us?"

Ben looked up from the fishing rod, obviously torn. He didn't want to outright refuse Dean, but he clearly hoped for the fishing expedition.

The look on his face reminded Cas of the one Dean sometimes sported, and for the first time he felt a little bit uneasy. If Ben disapproved of their relationship would Dean break things off? He slapped himself mentally. Lisa was obviously ok with them being together, so why would Ben be against Cas?

Dean focused on the boy and said easily, "Hey, buddy, it's ok if you want to go fishing. And I'm sure they," he pointed at the three older men, "will be thankful as well. You'd seriously improve their age statistics."

"Yeah, unlike the favors you're doing for your cousins and friends when you go out together," Bobby yelled from his three-legged camping stool.

Cas chuckled at Dean's grumpy expression the whole time it took them to finish with the tent, and was still smiling then they went into the forest to gather the wood.

They worked for a while in companionable silence until Dean spoke first. "Listen, Cas. I'm sorry we have to keep our relationship secret and haven't told Ben about us yet. I understand if you're mad, just wanted you to give me some more time..."

“Dean, you don't have to go through with it. It's really not-"

“No, Cas, I do. I really wanna tell Ben, or better yet have someone else tell Ben and I could just stand there and nod vigorously." Dean straightened up as if struck with an idea. “Hey, Cas, maybe-"

“I'm not telling Ben instead of you. I'm not rushing you, and frankly I don't see why you're so worked up over it. You could just wait."

“I don't wanna wait!" Dean said forcefully. “I love you and I want to show it around my family!"

The words were met with silence and Dean spun around to look at Cas. The man was obviously waiting for Dean's next move, whether for a confirmation or negation.

"Y-Yes." Dean voice was hoarse so he tried again. "Yes, Cas."

"You do?" Cas looked down shyly, but there was a smile gracing his lips.

"Of course I do. And I'm sorry I told you over stick gathering, but it doesn't make it any less true." He hesitated again. "...Or, maybe, you think it's too early."

"No!" Cas said strongly, finally looking up to meet Dean's eyes. "I mean, for some people maybe, but not for me." He then lowered his gaze and added shyly, "Especially since I feel the same way."

"You do?" It was Dean's turn to be a grinning idiot now, Cas just rolling his eyes at the man's obliviousness.

"How could I not?" Cas just shrugged. "Of course I do," he continued as Dean wrapped his arms around his waist. "But I'm not gonna stand here ‘til sundown, which would happen if I had to list all the reasons why I do."

"Well, I don't know, Cas," Dean mussed with a cheeky smile. "Want me to settle for the least romantic love declaration in history?"

"Oh, come on." Cas smiled in response. "Giving that our first time almost happened on your ex's lawn, we're stepping up our game. Plus, I don't think that groping session behind the truck would add to the magic of the moment."

"Ok, how about a celebratory kiss then?" Dean asked, mostly rhetorically as he was already leaning in.

"That I could do."  
  


* * *

 

When they emerged from the forest and into the clearing where their camp was set they noticed the third car and its former occupants busying themselves around the field. The 'Senior Citizens', as Dean liked calling them, were already back as well, and Ben had moved to observe Gabriel, who was currently filleting the fish.

When Gabe noticed the newcomers his gaze narrowed and, after saying few words to Ben, he stormed toward his brother. "Listen Cas," he began once he was close enough so no one else would hear them. "I like Ben, but I ain't gonna be his babysitter just so you can play grab-ass in the forest!"

Cas' eyes narrowed. "That's not what’s been going on, Gabriel. I can't even believe you'd think that! That Dean would just dump a boy under his care onto some random person just to... Sorry, I shouldn't have acted like that."

"Don't worry, Cassie. I just assumed... You both looked like a cat with a canary... Sorry for jumping to conclusions."

"Apologies accepted." Cas smiled again as he kept reminiscing the scene in the forest. "And I guess we took longer than necessary to return, but... Dean told me he loves me, and I responded in kind."

"Cassie, you know boys will tell you anything to get you to sleep with them," Gabe teased his dewy-eyed brother.

"Yes, thank you, Mom," Cas replied snarkily. "You know it was a big moment for me–you should be more supportive."

"I am. Seriously, I’m happy for you. Dean seems like a smug jock, but he's a good guy. And I guess that means you're gonna wear his varsity jacket now?"

"Seriously, Gabe, no more high school flicks for you. This isn’t freaking Grease," Dean added to the conversation, having heard the last bits of it.

"Given the hair color, that would make you Sally."

"Yeah, yeah, laugh it up Kenickie."

Cas went silent as he observed the exchange.

Dean noticed it, but the reason was too impossible to believe. "Dude, don't tell me you've never seen Grease."

"Haven't had an occasion."

Dean just gaped at Gabriel who shrugged as if trying to convey 'he's your problem now'. "What am I gonna do with you?” he asked with a sad shake of his head. “Hey, maybe we could go to a drive-in and watch it there? You know, a little bit of Summer Lovin'." Dean wiggled his brows.

"How appropriate. But I could go for an evening of necking in the backseat and ignoring the movie," Cas deadpanned, Dean's laughter booming in the forest.

"Are you three ladies done setting up your nail appointments? I would like to eat somethin' today," Bobby cut in.

"Yeah, yeah." Dean waved him off. "What, if you don't eat now it’ll sit on your stomach all night, Grandpa?"

"Wouldn't call me that, boy, 'cause it's gonna be that much more embarrassing for you when I kick your ass."

Dean and Cas exchanged one last smile, that earned them an eye-roll and a quiet gagging noise from Gabe, and went about their chores.

They all occupied themselves until supper, with the big bonfire as their main light source. The time was spent trading stories and laughing, Ash becoming the point of most of said stories given his Carver stories' induced fear of wilderness. At every sound he was whipping his head around and checking if they were alone in the camp, and given the fact it also added to his drinking they were soon huddling him into the tent and calling it a night altogether.

Dean went to bed last, showing Ben around the camp and teaching him how to check up on the most important safety aspects–showing the boy how to properly put the fire out and lock away the food and trash-bags. Before he went into his tent he gave one last look at the one with the Novak brothers inside, deciding that he could postpone telling Ben about his relationship until they got back.

He went to sleep both happy about his relationship and apprehensive about the talk, surrounded only by the sounds of the forest and Ash's whale-like snoring.


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Too much fluff... but I really need it.

“Thanks for taking me in," Cas broke the silence as he finished putting his clothes in the drawer.

"Don't be ridiculous, man. I'm glad we get to hang out," Dean answered easily and crowded the man against the dresser. "Maybe we'd get to do some stuff without our family members… You know…" Dean leered. "…Stuff with our members."

"Wow, really? Classy, Dean." Cas couldn't hold in the laugh.

"What can I say, I'm sophisticated as fuck."

With Cas' family coming for the 4th of July celebrations he volunteered his room to be used as a guest room for his uncle Julian and aunt Tessa since Balthazar occupied the proper room.

Cas smiled and leaned into the kiss. He was already starting to see the current situation as less troublesome than he originally thought. It was actually a win-win situation. He got to be the good guy by his family, and he had an excuse to stay with Dean for a week. Not that he needed the rouse with Dean, but it came in handy when he was explaining his presence at the house to Ben, who was still being kept in the dark.

Now, the next day, they were supposed to spend the celebrations together–Castiel's family and friends also invited to the party.

"So, how is tomorrow gonna go down?" Cas asked from the bathroom. "Do we need to prepare patties?"

"We?" Dean asked, his amusement clear. "You want to try cooking again after The Great Guacamole Debacle?"

There was only a huff in response. Seriously, how was he supposed to know that the avocado would lose color so quickly without the lemon? Whatever Dean said, it wasn't common knowledge.

"Sorry, babe. Our Grumpy Old Trio is in charge of grill since I'm not sure if they could do anything else. We're making my instant noodle salad though, so you can help me if you'd like."

Cas perked up, happy about the prospect of cooking together. He came to love those moments, even though he was still being intimidated by omelets. His excitement was short lived however, and soon he was throwing his boyfriend dirty looks from above the strainer he was using to drain water from canned corn and red kidney beans. "You know, I had something different in mind," he muttered while opening the second pair of cans.

"I'm sorry. I thought we'd start at the beginning." Dean threw him one of those smiles that always managed to defuse Cas' sulking.

"Just how am I only allowed to drain stuff while you're over there frying chicken breasts? When do I get to do it?"

"The moment you learn it’s being sautéed and not fried. Now soak the noodles and drain them as well." He smiled cheekily but crumbled when he saw Cas' disappointed expression. "Fine," he said in defeat. “How many cans have you opened?"

"Two of each."

"Then chop two big red peppers just like I did with the breasts. When you're done, mix it together and then you can help me with the dressing."

It all went well in the end, Dean only had to wrestle the ramen spices away from his boyfriend, who was attempting to sneak them into the salad. And wrestle the actual salad away as well because there was a moment where Cas was resembling a hamster, the huge bowl cradled in his arms, barely fitting due to its size **,** his cheeks stuffed with the mix of noodles, spicy chicken and vegetables.

They had a quiet evening interrupted only by few panicked calls from Castiel's relatives inquiring about the Winchesters’ party code, figuring out the cooking arrangement and, in one case, seeking information regarding Rufus' presence. After thorough investigation they were submitted to they decided to call it a night.

In the morning Cas noticed Dean had a lot of nervous energy, which made Cas worried that the man had second thoughts about introducing the families.

"Come on, Cas, you know it's not like that. I'm actually glad. And we've already taken it for a spin. Anna and Balth already know our bunch, and Gabe knows everybody, so I think it'll go well."

"Ok..." Cas acknowledged, waiting for Dean to gather his thoughts and be honest with him.

"I need to tell Ben. With our families there the jig will be pretty much up, and it's getting ridiculous. But I'm afraid that if he’s not ok with it I'm gonna ruin his day."

"So tell him after. We can walk with them after the party, and I'll get to know Lisa a little better while you explain everything to Ben."

"You'd be ok with it?"

"Why wouldn't I be?"

"Well, you and Lisa..."

"I think it will be ok. On the rare occasions we've met she was more than civil to me, and I don't think she would mistreat me only because we're together now."

"You're right."

"Besides, we could trade stories about you," Cas teased, though obviously he was the only one who found it amusing.

* * *

When they reached the garage it was obvious they weren't the first ones to arrive. Dean's parents were already there, John working on a grill and a kitchen oven–the only one in the place. It was old and a little beaten down since it was only used specifically on this one day, and Bobby and Rufus hovering over John and giving advice about the best way to do it.

Kate was shouting at them to stop and help them with the tables, and Adam, Jo, Ellen and Mary were preparing the actual tables, quickly accompanied by Cas in the task. Ash had already planted his ass on one of the tables, trying to look as innocent as a thirty year-old man with a mullet could while peaking under the lids and into the pots gathered in one place. So, basically, it was the usual picture plus Cas, and Dean really liked the addition a lot.

He sighed happily and moved to retrieve the drinks from Ellen's truck to take them to the makeshift kitchen that was already set up in the back of the yard. There was a makeshift kitchen counter, kitchen oven, sinks, and on the left his father and his friends had set the grills up.

Dean was listening to their argument until he noticed the newcomers. Sam and a very pregnant Sarah were greeting everyone, his younger brother coming in his direction with a huge tray of stuffed mushrooms that only needed a few minutes in the oven.

Dean snorted. "Of course. I should have known you'd make Sarah prepare you some rabbit food. Good thing the poor girl has us to put a proper meal on the table," he said as he leaned against the counter, arms crossed and an amused smile on his face.

"Shut up, jerk. If you must know, I made these myself."

"Yeah, right. Grocery shopping doesn't count as 'making' food."

"I did make it!" Sam shrieked indignantly.

Dean gave the food once over. "Well, since the preparation process so far has only consisted of chopping up various vegetables, I'm gonna believe you."

His answer was another huff and a voice coming from behind him.

"Don't be mean, Winchester. We can't all be a master of a pan. Some of us have shit to do."

"That's no way to talk to your boss, Barnes." Dean grinned as he answered Pam. "What you got for us?"

"Who died and made you the nutrition police?" She rolled her eyes as she dumped a bowl of sliced eggplant covered in some yellow powder on the table. From the lack of any scent Dean could easily guess it was turmeric.

"I just need to establish if we need to order pizza now or if I’ll actually manage find something edible this year." He pointed at the yellowish slices with distaste. "You're really scraping the barrel with these."

"Oh, come on, Dean." Cas snuck up on them, curiously looking at the table. "It's fun to see what others have brought. It looks very interesting, Pam. Is it ready to taste?" he asked the dark-haired woman.

"At least someone appreciates my effort. Sorry, handsome," she continued, "you have to pan-fry it first and eat it right after," she finished, and added on a parting note, "It's a sort of healthy snack."

That remark managed to draw an outraged cry from Ash. "Snacks aren't supposed to be healthy, Einstein!"

"True that," Benny agreed as he dumped a foil covered plate on the table, but the smell wasn't fooling anyone. That had to be Benny's famous, deliciously marinated entrecôte. "Nice to see you again, Cas."

"Hey, Benny. I see that at least you're living up to Dean Winchester's provision standards," he said, rolling his eyes at his boyfriend.

"Yeah, next time come and cook with us. Is Dean still as fun to cook with as a bunch of anorexic models?"

"More or less." Cas smiled back but squawked when Dean slapped his ass. "Hey! I speak the truth!"

"I agree on that one, brotha'. You're really tense when it comes to cooking."

After that the whole Novak clan arrived, Gabriel parading in like he owned the place with the rest of the family in tow. Everyone gathered to welcome the new additions to their bunch, Anna and Balthazar exchanging hugs with people they already knew, Cas' parents being introduced to everyone, which made the ordeal so much longer when they learned about Chuck's pen-name and the whole family admitting to being fond of his work and recalling all the fun times they had reading the books.

The introductions extended to Balthazar's parents, Chuck's brother Julian, a tall, slim gentleman walking with a thin cane and his wife Tessa. When it turned out that they were respectively a coroner and a pathologist Adam basically kidnapped them into a heated conversation regarding the medical sciences, the qualifications they had to meet to do the job in the UK, and basically disappeared into Nerdland.

Dean shot Cas an apologetic look as he victoriously peaked into the pot he managed to snatch from Tessa, just to see an army of eggplant involtini, and put it together with the rest of the dishes. Cas and Gabriel observed him as he noticed the sweets Gabe and Missouri brought, and turned his focus onto the spinach filled puff pastry, which was the work of Cas' mother.

"So, is Dean junior gonna be here today?" Gabe asked his brother, still observing the man's ministration

"Yes, he is. And, no, before you ask, he still doesn't know," Cas answered easily and took a sip from his bottle.

"Cassie, he's pretending you don't exist!"

"As difficult as it might be for you, try to tone down your melodramatic indignation. He's doing no such thing. His family is perfectly aware of my existence, and we attend functions together. He's just trying to find a way to tell a teenage boy that his father figure is a homosexual. And if I have any say in it, it will take a little more time."

"Why’s that?"

"Because the last time Dean practiced the coming-out-to-Ben speech on me, he actually referred to himself as 'being experienced in more than one flavor of love' and tried to explain all the intricacies of the terms 'catcher' and 'receiver'," Cas said with a fond sigh. Back then he was a little taken aback, but when he thought about it now he found it really endearing how Dean had gotten so adorably flustered.

"Wow, he must be really good in bed if you’re still with him."

"He is, but that's beside the point."

"So there _is_ the point?"

"The point is I'm ok with it, so you don't need to be insulted on my behalf." Cas fixed his brother with a narrow stare. "You will not try to trick or intimidate Dean to force the confession out of him."

"Geez, ok, Cassie. I love when you get all smitey and commanding. It gets me-"

The sentence was interrupted when they spotted Lisa and Ben entering the yard. Lisa was holding a platter Dean and Ash raced to get their hands on first, and Ben had one of those tube-cases that architects sometimes carried around.

The last one to arrive was Charlie, clearly a little worse for wear, probably after last night’s partying, but the state she was in didn't overshadow her usual cheerfulness.

With everyone in place it was time for the first round of food. Pam and Sam's dishes served as an entree, and they all gathered around the makeshift table to dine together. The dinner went by in a casual atmosphere, the air filled with laughs and chatting. When they were done, plates and cutlery disposed of, it came the time for Ben to unveil his project.

As it turned out, the tube-case contained Ben's family tree–the project he achieved the highest grade at school for–and he wanted to show it to everyone.

Sam and John cleared one of the tables so Ben could unroll the tube. There was a huge tree with branches creating an impressive crown **.** The Winchesters’ and Campbells’ branches hovered over the Braedens’ side so at first glance everything looked even. Only after a moment one could tell these parts were extending from the paternal side. Dean knew Lisa didn't have a big family, she as well as her parents not having any siblings.

Dean proudly investigated his family members, everyone in a proper place, starting from the top right down to their generation. Everyone was there–his cousins, and Sam, whose branch was intertwined with Sarah's, just as his father's was with his mother's. And just as Dean's branch was curled around a smaller one.

The man gasped at the image. Next to his picture there was a slightly grainy shot of Cas, no doubt taken with a phone camera. He even remembered the settings. It was from the museum trip Cas managed to set up for them to show how family archives were gathered and cataloged. He showed them some of the old family trees together with family heirlooms and some albums.

As a part-time member of the museum staff Cas was allowed to show them a little bit more and Ben seemed to love it. He took two kids Dean had never seen in his life–a quiet but smart boy named Jesse, and a mini-version of Jo named Krissy. They were just as enthusiastic about the whole ordeal as Cas seemed to be, and Dean had to once again ponder at what time in his life he became a nerd magnet.

Right now he was trying to figure out something else entirely–at what point Ben saw through him and came to terms with Dean's sexuality. Not that he and Cas were overly subtle about their relationship, but Ben was a teenage boy and not even in the sex clouded digits yet. He was a boy who invited the girl he liked on a museum trip.

He looked at Lisa who raised her hands in a defensive gesture and whispered to him, "Don't look at me, I didn't tell him anything. Ben figured it out, and when he asked me if you were serious enough to put Castiel into the project I collaborated."

Around them everyone was saying words of praise about the project and Ben's vision, and when the boy looked at Dean to see his reaction the man exhaled and beamed at him. Ben grinned back and started answering the question people had about certain points.

At one point he actually looked at Cas, hesitation clear on his face.

"I hope you don't mind, Mr. Novak. I wanted it to be a surprise, but I hope you're not angry. Our teacher said that we shouldn't use anyone's information without their ok."

"Of course I'm not angry," Cas answered, his voice hoarse and his hand searching for Dean's. "And of course you have my consent." They exchanged small smiles but the atmosphere was far from frivolous now.

"You know what? Next time you could make Cassie's head stick out from our family bush or something, cause we're too awesome not to be included!" Gabe's voice boomed in the silence, making the Winchester's laugh and the Novaks blush. But with that the festive mood returned, everyone commenting on the project.

This prolonged for hours, mostly because under every name there was a nest-like space on the branch where Ben wrote funny quotes, trivia or hobbies regarding every person. Everyone started pointing at those, remembering stories that went with it, more than happy to recall embarrassing moments from each other's lives.

When they thoroughly cataloged every part of the project it was getting dark, which meant the fireworks would start soon. Everyone took chairs, mats and anything they could sit on and went to sit on the roof of one of the storage buildings–the place they'd watched the show every year.

Everyone was already settled and more or less comfortable, only Cas still lingering a bit and not sure where to sit. Dean took the opportunity and when Cas came closer he grabbed his sleeve and pulled him down so the man plopped down on the mat. Dean maneuvered them a little so that Cas was leaning his back against his chest, his ankles crossed underneath Cas' legs.

While waiting for the show to start, the low murmur of various conversation lulled the dark-haired man slightly. He leaned his head back against Dean's shoulder and whispered lowly, "See? It turned out the way you wished. You didn't have to tell him, he found out. Make a wish recently? Maybe a deal with the devil?"

Dean smiled and kissed Cas' cheek before nuzzling it. "Nope. Just got lucky. Still gonna talk to him though," he added as he wrapped his arms around his boyfriend.

"Are you happy with how it went down?" Cas asked and covered Dean's hands with his.

"I'm happy that apparently he accepts it. I don't know what I would do if he had problems with us," Dean mussed. "Sorry," he added after a moment, guilt obvious in his voice.

"Don't be. We would have figured something out. Luckily, we don't have to." He squeezed the hands enveloping him and closed his eyes.

"I love you."

Cas smiled. "I love you too."

"Don't sleep. It's starting."

* * *

They walked behind Lisa and Cas, the two giving them a chance to talk. It was just a little before midnight when Lisa decided they should be going back, and Dean immediately offered he and Cas would walk them back to the house.

"So, buddy…you're ok with Cas and me–together?"

"I don't see the problem. Jesse Turner has two dads. Well… I guess one of them is, but the other is raising him as well. Some kids make fun of him, and when he had a birthday party some of our friends didn't show and Mom said it was ‘cause their parents forbid them." Ben seemed to mull something over in his head. "Too bad for them. He has the best parties ever. Last year he had a bouncy castle, just like I did, and his dads played with us and looked like they had as much fun as we did. And this year we had like twelve different kinds of pizzas and we all went out for paintball together. Moms rarely go with us, and neither of his dads is a woman."

Dean was trying to catch up with the story as it progressed, but that was the point when he found himself really lost. "Huh?" was the best he managed.

"I mean, when I watch TV, one dad is always the fun one, and the other one is cooking and managing house and cleaning. At Jesse's they're all cooking, even Jesse has to help, and when I was there once for diner I even helped prepare a salad. And later we all had to clean up before we got to play Wii. In other houses it's usually moms who prepare food. Well, except at Krissy Chambers'. It's only her and her dad, so they do a lot of stuff together. They're also going camping and he taught her some awesome self-defense moves. She's cool."

"Ok," Dean said hesitantly, not sure if they were having the same conversation. "But how did you know Cas and I were together?"

"You're always doing stuff together, and I remember when you were hanging out with Sam all the time people assumed you were a couple. But you couldn't be ‘cause he's your brother."

"I hang out with Benny all the time and you didn't think we were a couple." Dean cringed at the mere thought; the picture was almost as bad as with Sam.

"Well, he is married. And you don't have sleepovers all the time like you do with Mr. Novak. Mom also has sleepovers with her boyfriends. And I heard Mr. Novak's brother telling Sam about you two."

"Well, ok then. I'm sorry I didn't tell you."

"It's ok. Mom said you were afraid about my reaction and it got you really stressed out. But I really like Mr. Novak. He's cool. And really smart. And I like that we get to do stuff together just like Jesse and his dads."

* * *

"So?" Cas asked once Lisa and Ben were gone. "How did it go?"

Dean turned to him, eyes a little glazed over and he responded dizzily, "Jesse Turner has two dads, and Ben is definitely crushing on Krissy Chambers. Oh, and he's ok with us ‘cause Lisa is awesome and apparently she raised Ben so he doesn't even see that homosexuality might be a problem for some people."

"See, it wasn't so bad," Cas said and nudged him. "Come on, let's trade celebratory blowjobs."

Dean smiled and follow his boyfriend, ready to celebrate with Cas into next week.


	18. Chapter 18

"Aw, shit," Dean cursed as he slid from the back of the chaise he was precariously balancing on in one of the most ridiculous poses so far.

Cas chuckled vindictively **.** "It’s your fault for sabotaging my work."

"I was just trying to give you something to work with," Dean mumbled as he heaved himself into a standing position, the sheets now forgotten on the floor. He didn't really pay any attention to it as he made a few steps toward Cas completely exposed.

"You just stay right where you are," Cas ordered, a hand with the charcoal pointed accusingly at the model. "I would like to finish it today, so I expect some cooperation," he finished with closed eyes and shoulders slumped in defeat as Dean managed to sneak in front of him and pull him into an embrace.

"Oh, come on, baby. I'm butt naked here and you look so professional behind this easel," Dean whined when Cas moved forward, using his weight to push Dean back toward the chaise.

"Work with me here, and I'll make it worth your while." Cas kissed him using it as a distraction to maneuver Dean back down.

"We're already at the point of trading favors for sex?" Dean asked, already seated on his previous spot but with his hands still caressing Cas' thighs.

"Please…" The painter gave him his best puppy-dog look.

"Playing dirty, are we? Well, two can play at that game."

In one swift move Dean stretched himself out on the furniture, sinking into the cushions with one hand going over the armrest and grazing his stomach with the fingers of the second hand. He eyed Cas for one moment and then, with a wink, he turned his head towards the back of the chaise, his neck exposed so deliciously and showing all the skin Cas would like to lick.

He could see Dean's closed eyes, his fucking offending lashes on his cheeks, posture relaxed, feigning sleep. And the hottest thing of all was there were now faint black impressions of fingers on Dean's pectorals from where Cas touched him with charcoal covered palms. Those were taunting the painter and bringing to mind marks of ownership.

Cas sighed heavily before moving to take the sheets from the floor and draping them over Dean's hips to mimic the way it was pooled there in the mornings. Not long after Dean could hear the furious strokes of the charcoal against the canvas and he had to fight not to give in first, not to take a peek at him working.

They were in the room above the garage in the Winchester's house. Or rather Cas' atelier since four weeks ago. Dean had converted the space the weekend after the 4th in the after-effect of their biggest fight yet…  
  


* * *

 

It all started on Friday after the celebrations, which Cas was spending yet again at Dean's. Even though they had planned to spend the entire weekend together again Cas took his tablet, some projects, and photos so he'd be able to do some preliminary evaluations for prospective clients. He managed to start the work, both of them sitting on the couch, while Dean was catching up on his favorite show.

Too soon Dean became distracted from the re-run and focused on his boyfriend, which Cas would welcome in any other situation, but he was seriously behind his schedule and didn't want anything to disrupt his working trance. So, with a sweet parting kiss, he disentangled himself from the pile of limbs and moved his working area to the kitchen. He was yet again loosing himself in his work when a pair of arms wrapped themselves around his waist.

"Dean," Cas reprimanded him. "I really wish to finish this before the evening."

"Don't mind me," Dean answered, too innocent for Castiel's liking. "I was just going to whip us up some chow, and you can objectify me from every angle now."

"I'd love to, but I do have to work every once in a while."

Dean's smile faltered.

"But you stay here, I'm gonna take this to the bedroom." He gathered his things again and left quickly.

This time it took Dean a whole ten minutes before he stormed into the room and sat on the bed. Cas just sighed and put aside his work to look at the other man. "Is something the matter, Dean?"

"You tell me. You can't even spend a fucking quarter of an hour in a room with me?"

"What are you talking about? I enjoy your company. I just needed to work. Could you please give me some time alone?" Cas pleaded, managing to maintain his calm despite the growing irritation.

"No, Cas, I'm not moving before you tell me what's the matter!" Dean demanded with unnecessary, for Cas' liking, anger.

The other man didn't want them to start arguing so he quickly stood up and moved to leave the room.

"I'm gonna go after you," he heard, and that seemed to destroy the collected manner he managed to behave with.

He spun around, grabbed his overnight bag and stormed to the garage where his car, left by Anna, was parked. His things were thrown inside, Cas already behind the wheel when Dean reached the entrance and started closing the entrance.

“Dean, open the door!"

“No way, Cas. Not before we talk."

“See, this is exactly what this all is about! We hang out at your place, so there's no way for me to avoid doing things the way you want it!"

“It's not…" Dean stuttered, shocked, “like that, Cas. You know it's not. You can do whatever you want."

“Oh, yeah, and you can go right behind me. What am I gonna do? Lock myself in your bathroom? Hide in your attic?"

“I didn't mean for you to feel that way."

“Then prove it and open the garage. I'm leaving."

Dean’s shoulders slumped in defeat as he did what he was asked. "I really don't want you to go," he spoke in a small voice.

"Well, too bad!" Cas barked, already feeling guilty for causing distress to the person he’s grown to love so deeply, but his frustration won in the end. "Call me when you're ready to include someone else's wishes into your plans!"

With that, he turned on the ignition and drove back to his house.

The drive didn't help him calm his nerves, and when he arrived home he went straight to the barn to avoid confrontation and inquiries from his family. Instead he started working on some of the projects to calm his nerves that were amplified by the fact he wasn't really sure he hadn’t overacted.

He worked for few solid hours before he heard the sound of an engine. His first thought was that it was strange Dean took the truck instead of the Impala, which was then followed by a brief panic when he remembered the stuff he left at Dean's and wondered if his boyfriend wanted to return those–hence the bigger vehicle.

His nerves were calmed when Dean himself slipped in into the barn with great hesitance, offering Cas a shy smile and hovering by the entrance, clearly unsure whether his presence was welcomed or not. Cas suppressed the urge to roll his eyes. Dean might have pissed him off but he was always welcome, so Castiel offered him an encouraging smile and held out his hand.

Dean went willingly and held Cas close, none of them saying anything.

After some amount of time Dean pulled them apart and looked at the shorter man. "I'm sorry I acted like a jerk. And you were right."

"It's ok. I didn't handle it very well either. I shouldn't have snapped at you like that."

"Come with me," Dean said as he tugged Cas' hand. "I wanna show you something."

"But I really need to finish this, Dean."

"Take it. I brought my truck, so just give me an hour then I'll leave you to it."

The ride back was quite pleasant even though it was still a little tense. When they got back Dean parked in the garage and went to open the door. They didn't go into the house, instead they went up the staircase that led up above the garage to the fourth room in the house; Cas had been up there only once since Dean mostly used it for storage, though apparently that wasn’t the case anymore.

The room was now mostly bare apart from an old chaise, an empty bookcase, a couple of stools and an easel, and a few of Cas' work equipment he left the last time he used Dean's workshop. Those were packed into a big chest with compartments. The large French windows that occupied one whole wall and the windows on the two other walls were covered with thick navy blue drapes that allowed you to adjust the amount of light coming into the room. There was also a table next to the windowless wall where Cas could see plenty of small accessories, vases, decorative objects and all the books about art he knew Dean had in his library.

"Dean? What's all this?"

"I gave a lot of thought to the stuff you said. You know, about not having a space you can lock yourself away in?"

"I didn't mean it that way. I don't want to be away."

"Well," Dean rubbed the back of his neck, the uneasiness clear in his movements, "even so, I think it's a valid point. That's why I wanted to give you your space." Dean breathed deeply and continued. "So, I wanted to prepare this room for you. You can work here, or read, or whatever, and I won't enter without an invitation."

"But…" Cas was so overwhelmed he didn't know what to ask. What about Dean? Where would his sanctuary be? How did he come up with the idea? Wouldn't he mind Cas using this space?

"I thought I could take the shed behind the house for myself." Dean grinned as if he'd heard Cas’ inner turmoil. “That way we could have our own spaces without having to drive away."

"Yeah, sorry about that..."

"Don't be," Dean told him, his voice lighter than before. "I get it now. Just tell me you accept."

"Dean..." Cas wrapped his arms around his boyfriend so his palms were settled against Dean's neck. "Of course I do. It's wonderful. It's just..."

"What?"

"You do so many wonderful things for me. How will I ever give you back an ounce of it?"

"I'm sure you’ll think of something." Dean grinned again, this time wolfishly, his hands settling on Cas' ass.

Cas huffed. "Not what I meant, but I don't see the harm in trying," he mused teasingly.  
  


* * *

 

Cas took to working at Dean's like a duck to water. He spent longer periods of time at Dean's place now, apart from the times he needed some bigger equipment from his barn, and even then he sometimes used Dean's workshop to do the task he needed. Especially since he'd grown to like the atmosphere that came with working surrounded by people better than when he was alone.

So it was totally normal by now that he was at Dean's on Wednesday, July 31st, having coaxed his boyfriend to pose for him. He even managed to convince him they should go to City Hall to witness the first legal same-sex marriage ceremonies in the state, but first he wanted to finish the charcoal drawing of this beloved body.

"Why do we have to go there? None of the people we know are getting married." Dean tried his luck again as they climbed into the Impala. They were heading to City Hall where the first homosexual couples would officially tie the knot on the day the same-sex marriage became legal.

"Because this in an important step for the homosexual community in our state, and we, as representatives, should be there to participate."

"Couldn't we just watch the coverage? And since when do you decide where we go?"

"Since the last time you decided you’d take us to a gay bar and I had to watch that girl hit on you. At a gay bar!"

"Oh, come on. Like I would have gone for that when I have you."

Cas blushed at that.

"Plus she had the lamest pick-up line ever." Dean snorted in derision at the memory of the girl proposing she'd let Dean check to make sure he wasn't straight after all. Also, he had bigger problems at the time. "It was nothing compared to the line of guys throwing hungry looks your way."

Dean had to basically sit on his hands to stop himself from throwing Cas on the nearest table and fucking him in a display of ownership. The only thing that stopped him from going with that was the thought of other guys seeing his boyfriend in a state that was solely for Dean's pleasure–ever, if he had a say in it.

"I take no responsibility. Again, it was your idea."

"Whatever."

The festivities started on Wednesday night when the public was allowed in, but the weddings would be held only after midnight. Dean argued they could just swing by at any time later, but Cas, freak that he was, insisted on being punctual. This actually ended up being a great idea since they didn't have to sit on the stairs and found a perfect place in one of the higher balconies where they could observe, but, as Cas pointed out, it wouldn't interfere on others’ special day; Dean might love him a little bit more for that one.

If Dean thought the celebrations wouldn't affect him he was now corrected in his assumptions pretty quickly. When they entered he thought it would be mostly young pairs, people his age tying the knot. He had to revise that pretty quickly when he saw people lining up for the ceremony. The people standing there were the age of his parents or even older. His stomach knotted slightly when he saw a pair's wedding witnessed by their adult children–more than one.

He sat there rigidly, thinking about all the things that were denied to those people for all those years. He looked at Cas, who watched the event beatifically, his eyes shining with happiness and pride, their hands clasped together.

By 2am the crowd started to thin out, not that Dean noticed. For the last half hour he was trying to keep his tongue at bay, trying not to go through verbal diarrhea in the hall full of people. His will wavered every time Cas looked at him like Dean was the source of his fucking joy and satisfaction, and with slight worry for the last fifteen minutes when Dean started frowning as his internal monologue progressed.

"Dean, are you ok?" Cas asked, worry obvious in his voice.

"Yeah, why?"

"‘Cause you're trying to crush my hand for one," Cas said as he covered their clasped hands with his free hand.

"Yeah, it..." he started as he motioned towards the weddings, "just got me thinking."

"Yeah?"

"You remember when you said you want to do something that would make me happy?"

"Which time?" Cas joked bitterly, acknowledging all the times Dean did something amazing for him.

"I thought of something you could do."

"Anything."

"I want you to move in with me."

"What? Dean, where is this coming from? Are you sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure. And it's coming from the fact that those people there were denied something as basic as sharing their life as a wedded couple. I want all of it with you. Maybe not today or tomorrow, but eventually I want to share my whole life with you. And I know we've known together for like four months, but it feels longer than that."

"Gee, thanks." Cas tried to unload the atmosphere a little bit.

"Or we could buy a new place if you don't like mine. Just..." Dean thought about it for a moment. "If you're serious about us, I don't want to wait."

"Dean... You don't have to talk me into it. It's not as if it would be a chore for me." Cas gave him a brilliant smile. "I love you, and I can't think of anything better than living together. And I like your home a lot," he said, cupping Dean's cheek as he did so.

"Good," Dean breathed in relief. "Good," he repeated and tried to focus on the couples below them.

Cas didn't give him a chance when he leaned in and whispered into his ear, grazing the shell. "I'm done here. But I think there's a wall with your name on it in our living room."

Dean jumped as if he was on fire and basically dragged Cas out of the building and into the car.  
  


* * *

 

"Maybe we could make dinner for our families and tell them then," Cas mussed quickly when they burst into the garage and through the entrance to the house.

"We could. But you have to keep away from sharp knives. You almost cut off my dangling bits the last time," Dean said as he pressed Cas next to the door, the very place they started their first time.

"I did not."

"You almost did. And Julian and Tessa were already back in the UK, so there would have been no one around to reattach a guy's penis."

"Wouldn't work anyway," Cas mumbled, too focused on the ministrations to his neck to pay attention to his phrasing. "None of them specialize in microsurgery."

Dean on the other hand did and bit the man's collarbone in retaliation. "Oh, you're going down for that. And while you there, you can see there's nothing micro about me," he said, lightly pushing down on the man's shoulders.

Cas obliged and sunk to his knees just to nuzzle Dean's crotch. "Where do you want me to take you first," Cas asked huskily. "On our carpet? Here, against the wall? Or in our bed?" he questioned, grazing his teeth on the rim of Dean's trousers and nuzzling the skin above as he did so.

"Wall," Dean gasped and almost came when he saw Cas opening his zipper with his teeth. "Please, baby, just-"

"Don't worry, Dean," Cas cut him off, puffs of air warm against Dean's jean-clad erection. "I'm gonna take good care of you from now on. Do you wanna know what I'll do to you?"

"Y-Yes."

"I'm gonna lie you on the carpet and spread you open until you-" he was interrupted by the ringtone blaring from Dean's pocket. "But first you need to deal with who's interrupting us. I want you all to myself," Cas finished, his voice full of authority.

"You better be on fire, Sammy!" he growled into the phone, feeling the slight pressure on his upper thigh from where Cas rested his chin on it, looking up with those too innocent eyes for his current position. That teasing asshat.

Cas observed as Dean's whole posture changed at Sam's words.

He ended the call quickly with words of encouragement. "No dice, beautiful. We need to go."

"What is it? Where do we have to go?"

"Hospital. Cockblocker junior is coming."

Dean almost cried when Cas huffed and zipped his trousers back up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So that's that. I'm kinda happy with the fic, hope you liked it. And I would really like to thank my Beta, Twilight684 for patience. I'm not an English native so all non mistakes are her doing. 
> 
> And thanks for taking the time to read and comment.   
> Best


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